Security-Driven Compliance

Your enterprise deal is stuck.
Let's fix that.

SOC 2 compliance that starts with security, not spreadsheets. End-to-end readiness with real penetration testing included—not a checkbox scan that misses everything.

Schedule Strategy Call

Compliance Frameworks We Prepare You For

SOC 2 Type I SOC 2 Type II ISO 27001 HIPAA PCI DSS GDPR

The compliance industry has a dirty secret.

Platforms like Vanta and Drata sell you automation but deliver checkbox theater. They'll show your dashboard as "compliant" while your AWS is full of misconfigured IAM roles, logging is off, and encryption isn't enforced.

Then you pay $15K-30K per year for the platform—and still need a separate $10K-50K penetration test that auditors actually trust. That's not efficiency. That's a trap.

We built Merlano Compliance because security should drive compliance, not the other way around.

74%

of enterprise buyers require SOC 2

60%

renewal price increases reported

real security from compliance platforms

The Truth

Stop paying for compliance theater.

See what compliance platforms won't tell you—and why security-first is the only approach that works.

Feature	Merlano Compliance	Vanta	Drata
Real Penetration Testing Manual testing that finds what scanners miss	✓ Included Via Merlano Defense	✗ Not included Requires $10-50K extra	✗ Not included Requires $10-50K extra
Pricing Transparency What you pay year one vs. year two	✓ Fixed project pricing No annual lock-in	✗ 20-40% renewal hikes 2-year contracts standard	✗ "Predatory" renewals 60% increases reported
Auditor Trust Do auditors accept the evidence without walkthrough calls?	✓ Expert-prepared evidence We handle auditor liaison	⚠ "Alignment issues" Auditors often distrust automated evidence	⚠ "Reluctant auditors" Still need video walkthrough calls
Remediation Support Help fixing the issues found	✓ Hands-on remediation We help you fix, not just flag	✗ Dashboard only "Figure it out yourself"	✗ Dashboard only Support focused on upselling
False Sense of Security Dashboard shows green, but are you actually secure?	✓ Security-first approach Real testing, real findings	✗ "Green" doesn't mean secure AI assistant "hallucinates answers"	✗ Monitoring misses errors "Control is green but wrong"
What You Actually Get The real deliverable	✓ Audit-ready + actually secure Compliance as byproduct of security	⚠ Checkbox compliance Security theater	⚠ Checkbox compliance Security theater

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

End-to-end SOC 2 readiness from gap assessment to auditor handoff. No annual software subscription—just expert execution that gets you compliant and keeps you secure.

Gap Assessment

We analyze your current security posture against SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria and identify exactly what needs to change—no guesswork, no generic checklists.

Policy & Procedure Development

Custom security policies tailored to how your organization actually operates. Not templates you'll never read—documentation that reflects reality.

Control Implementation

Hands-on help deploying the technical and administrative controls your auditor needs to see. We don't just tell you what's missing—we help you fix it.

Evidence Collection

We prepare the evidence portfolio auditors need: screenshots, configurations, logs, and documentation organized exactly how they expect it.

Penetration Test

A comprehensive manual penetration test from Merlano Defense—not a vulnerability scan. Real attack simulation that proves your security works.

Auditor Coordination

We handle auditor communication, evidence requests, and questions so you can focus on running your business. You talk to customers, we talk to auditors.

Powered by Merlano Defense.

Every Merlano Compliance engagement includes a comprehensive penetration test from our security research practice. This isn't an add-on or upsell—it's the foundation of our approach.

While compliance platforms run automated scans that check boxes, we manually test your systems the way real attackers would. The result: compliance evidence auditors trust, and security you can actually rely on.

Merlano Defense

Premium Penetration Testing

Manual Testing

Real security researchers, not automated scanners. We find what tools miss.

Framework Mapping

Findings mapped to SOC 2, NIST, OWASP, and 15+ compliance standards.

Retest Included

After remediation, we verify fixes. Your auditor sees proof vulnerabilities are resolved.

Audit-Ready Reports

Executive summaries for leadership, technical details for your team, evidence for auditors.

What impressed us most was the level of detail in both the findings and the recommendations—vulnerabilities were mapped not only by severity but also by the context of our compliance requirements, which made prioritization straightforward for both our engineering team and our stakeholders.

The process was organized and transparent, which was critical for us since we wanted to move fast on remediations without losing quality or technical context.

We're now in the retest phase and the support has been just as solid. This is a team we'd absolutely work with again and highly recommend to any company serious about improving their security posture.

Marcelo Sanchez

CTO & Founder @

Frequently asked questions.

How is this different from Vanta or Drata?

They sell software that automates evidence collection—but you still need separate pentesting, remediation support, and often struggle with auditors who don't trust automated evidence. We provide end-to-end expert service including real penetration testing, with fixed project pricing instead of annual subscriptions that increase 20-60% at renewal.

Do you actually do the audit?

No—SOC 2 audits must be performed by a licensed CPA firm. We handle everything else: gap assessment, remediation, policy development, evidence collection, penetration testing, and auditor coordination. We prepare you to pass; the auditor certifies the result.

How long does it take to get SOC 2 ready?

For Type I readiness, typically 6-10 weeks depending on your starting point. Type II requires a monitoring period (usually 3-6 months) after controls are in place. We'll give you an honest timeline during our scoping call based on your specific situation.

What's included in the penetration test?

A comprehensive manual assessment from Merlano Defense covering your external attack surface, application security, and internal controls as relevant to your SOC 2 scope. This isn't a vulnerability scan—it's real security testing with findings mapped to compliance requirements. Retest after remediation is included.

What does this cost?

We price per engagement based on scope, complexity, and your current security maturity—not per employee or framework like compliance platforms. Most engagements are comparable to one year of platform fees plus external pentesting, but you get expert service instead of software you have to figure out yourself. Schedule a call for a detailed quote.

Stop Waiting on Compliance

That enterprise deal
won't close itself.

Schedule a strategy call. We'll assess your current state and give you an honest timeline to SOC 2 certification.