That's PJ - a real human in Solana Beach.Text him directly, usually same hour.
A SOC 2 consultant right here in San Diego.
Timeline: Type 1 (point-in-time) is typically 4-8 weeks of readiness. Type 2 adds an observation window, commonly 3-6 months.
Cost, three separate buckets: (1) SideGuy's rate: $100/hr, no retainer, or start with the $150 SideGuy Hour or $250 Operator Audit. (2) Platform: Drata/Vanta ~$15-35K/yr at 50-500 employees, Sprinto ~$8-20K. (3) Auditor: a CPA firm's Type 2 audit, ~$10-20K on top of a pure-platform tool. Platform and auditor figures come from the SideGuy mid-market SOC 2 comparison; they are not SideGuy fees.
Customer asking for SOC 2, Vanta evidence, or security answers? Send PJ the request and deadline. You get the shortest honest path to audit-ready — not a six-figure Big-4 engagement.
Why it's safe to just text me
No client logos to wave at you yet — I'd rather earn it than borrow it. So the offer removes your risk instead:
I'm almost positive I can help. If I can't, you don't pay.
- No meeting, no Calendly. Text the problem, I read it, you get a straight answer — faster than a sales call.
- Hourly, not a retainer maze. Real cost, no lock-in, and you keep everything I build.
- The first look is free. Send the questionnaire, deadline, and blocker — I'll tell you the cost and timeline before you owe a dollar.
One operator in San Diego, answering directly. That's the whole thing — no funnel behind it.
Straight to PJ's phone (858-461-8054). Tap, hit send, then send the request or screenshot. No sales call.
You do not need the perfect explanation. Send the customer request, deadline, and what tool you use now.
Hey PJ - customer asked for SOC 2. We use [Vanta/Drata/none], deadline is [date]. Can I send the request?SOC 2 Readiness Check — your score in 30 seconds
6 quick questions. Instant score + your real gaps named — before you talk to anyone.
Have the customer request? Send that first.
Forward the SOC 2 ask, deadline, and whether you use Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, or no platform yet. PJ can scope the first move from that.
Text PJ the customer requestNeed a form instead? Use the 5-min worksheet
What you get
- Readiness assessment — your current controls mapped against SOC 2, the real gaps named (no scare-selling)
- Evidence automation — wired into the tools you already use, so the audit doesn't eat your team's quarter
- Audit prep + auditor handling — the SOPs, the policies, the questionnaire answers, the auditor relationship
- The human layer over the platform — Vanta/Drata automates ~70%; SideGuy owns the other 30% that actually passes the audit
Build your own compliance brain — with the vendor you choose
Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, Sprinto, Tugboat Logic, OneTrust, ServiceNow GRC — they can all be useful. The problem is renting your compliance brain forever and letting a platform decide how your controls, evidence, policies, and customer answers should work. SideGuy helps you choose the right tool or keep the one you already bought, then builds the custom compliance operating system around your business.
Working with specialists: Zachary Rice (energy trading / RareBetSports) and Chris Haney (BairesDev / tech infrastructure) both operate in the SideGuy network for compliance + automation strategies.
- Vanta setup consultant / Drata implementation help — configure the platform around your real stack, not the default checklist.
- Custom SOC 2 evidence tracker — control owner, evidence source, renewal date, auditor note, and customer-proof link in one reusable map.
- Security questionnaire response library — approved answers and evidence packets your sales team can reuse for vendor due diligence.
- Secureframe alternative / lightweight GRC — if you are not ready for another subscription, build the minimum viable compliance workflow first.
SOC 2 in San Diego: how it actually goes
The same eight steps whether you're in Sorrento Valley or Solana Beach. SideGuy can take any one of them or run the whole path.
- 1. Scope: Decide which products, systems, and Trust Services Criteria are in scope; security is the baseline, and adding criteria you don't need adds work.
- 2. Pick a platform: Choose Vanta, Drata, Sprinto, Secureframe, or a lighter setup based on your cloud stack, headcount, and budget, or keep the one you already bought.
- 3. Find the readiness gaps: Map your current controls (MFA, offboarding, logging, vendor tracking, change management) against the criteria and list what's missing.
- 4. Policies and evidence: Write the policies your team will actually follow and connect the platform to your cloud, identity, and HR tools so evidence collects itself.
- 5. Pick an auditor: Only a licensed CPA firm can issue the SOC 2 report; most enterprise buyers accept any AICPA-licensed CPA firm, not only the Big 4.
- 6. Type 1 report: The auditor checks that your controls are designed properly at a single point in time, which is often enough to unblock a first deal.
- 7. Observation window: Controls run for the observation period (commonly 3-6 months) while the platform monitors for drift and you fix failed checks as they surface.
- 8. Type 2 report: The auditor tests whether controls operated effectively across the whole window, which is the report enterprise security reviews usually ask for.
Go deeper: 7-vendor mid-market SOC 2 comparison · SOC 2 continuous monitoring: Vanta vs Drata vs Secureframe vs Sprinto · HIPAA consultant San Diego · San Diego County compliance hub
Who in San Diego and North County usually needs SOC 2
- B2B SaaS selling to enterprise: the usual trigger is a procurement or security review asking for your SOC 2 report before a contract signs.
- Healthtech: companies handling patient data often need SOC 2 alongside HIPAA, because hospital and payer buyers ask for both. See the HIPAA consultant page.
- Fintech and payments: banks and financial partners typically send security questionnaires that a SOC 2 report answers in one document.
- Service providers that touch customer data: managed IT, data, and dev shops whose clients now pass vendor-risk requirements down to them.
Why local matters for "near me"
A SOC 2 consultant you can text and get a same-hour reply from — based in Solana Beach, serving Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, Oceanside, and all of San Diego County. No timezone roulette, no rotating account managers. When you need a human who gets your business and your audit, you don't want a platform — you want the person around the corner.
Already on Vanta or Drata? Good. SideGuy runs the machine around it.
Pass the security review, clean the evidence, automate the trust work that blocks deals, and keep an owned operator layer if the rented platform changes the rules.
Prefer the direct path? Text PJ the platform, deadline, and review.
SOC 2 consultant FAQ
How much does a SOC 2 consultant cost in San Diego?
SideGuy's rate is $100/hr with no retainer; you can also start with the $150 SideGuy Hour or the $250 Operator Audit. SideGuy's own estimate is that most SMB SOC 2 engagements land around $3K-$12K of consultant time. That is separate from the tools and the audit: SOC 2 platforms like Drata and Vanta typically run ~$15-35K/yr at the 50-500 employee band (Sprinto ~$8-20K), and a pure-platform setup still needs a CPA firm's audit, roughly another $10-20K for a Type 2, per SideGuy's mid-market SOC 2 comparison.
How long does SOC 2 take?
Type 1 (a point-in-time report) typically takes about 4-8 weeks of readiness work before the audit. Type 2 adds an observation window, commonly 3-6 months, because the auditor tests whether controls operated effectively over a period of time. Platform vendors cite roughly 4-12 weeks to audit-ready depending on the tool and how clean your stack is.
Do I need a consultant or just Vanta/Drata?
Vanta or Drata automate a large share of evidence collection, but someone still has to own the controls, write the policies and SOPs, fix the gaps, answer security questionnaires, and handle the auditor. If your team has that person, the platform alone may be enough, and SideGuy will tell you so. If not, SideGuy is the human layer over the platform you pick, at $100/hr.
Type 1 vs Type 2: which first?
Most companies start with Type 1 because it proves your controls are designed correctly at a single point in time and can unblock a deal sooner. Enterprise buyers usually want Type 2, which proves those controls operated over an observation window. If a customer contract explicitly requires Type 2, plan the observation window from day one.
Can you help remotely across San Diego County?
Yes. SideGuy is based in Solana Beach and works by text and async first, so remote works everywhere in San Diego County: Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Oceanside, Escondido, La Jolla, and metro San Diego. Text PJ at 858-461-8054 with the customer request and deadline.