The need to protect company data

Ward Karson, Raindrop’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), is a seasoned professional who saw an immediate need for compliance when joining the Raindrop team. Raindrop, the AI-powered standard in Enterprise Spend Management solutions, provides visibility and capabilities in controlling how and who spends money within an organization. With the platform using AI to deliver cost savings and cost containment, the software solution collects a great deal of company data. Ward did not want to risk losing business deals due to a missing compliance certification or lack of customer trust in their security processes and procedures.

Finding the right fit

Raindrop was looking for experts in the auditing industry to help guide them through the initial SOC 2 examination process. Being that SOC 2 would be their first compliance assessment, Ward knew through his years of experience that Raindrop needed a seasoned auditor to help explain the fundamental procedures.

“I initially found A-LIGN when conducting an internet search for the top cybersecurity compliance partners,” he said. “Through my due diligence, I heard nothing but positive reviews from other companies who have worked with A-LIGN. I was looking for a true partner, not just someone to hand my company a certification. I wanted to learn from this process and better our security posture along the way.”

Ward went on to hold discussions with A-LIGN’s leadership team as he wanted to be sure the firm was a great fit for a long-term partnership. “In my conversations, I found A-LIGN to be flexible, nimble and scalable, which is exactly what Raindrop needed,” he said. “I was looking for a partner to grow with us.”

Utilizing A-SCEND to earn a SOC 2 report

Raindrop immediately kicked off the SOC 2 examination process, utilizing A-SCEND, A-LIGN’s audit automation and compliance management software. “A-SCEND allowed for a seamless communication process as it gave my team the ability to ask the auditors for guidance on a request within the platform,” said Ward.

The Raindrop team also felt the platform’s dashboard was useful as it provided the ability to assign requests by person and team, then review the breakdown to ensure there wasn’t any one team member that was overloaded. Ward appreciated A-SCEND’s link evidence feature, which allowed him to reference past evidence and provide updated evidence to current engagements, saving a great deal of time and resources for everyone involved in the audit.

With Ward’s lead, Raindrop successfully achieved a SOC 2 report. The SOC 2 examination was a positive experience for Raindrop as their internal team learned a great deal about the compliance process. With many years of cybersecurity experience, Ward knew compliance doesn’t stop after one SOC 2 report. In an effort to continue Raindrop’s compliance journey, he led the company to sign a multi-year contract with A-LIGN.

Creating customer trust

Ward’s guidance, combined with A-LIGN’s expertise, drove Raindrop to improve their cybersecurity policies and procedures. “A-LIGN’s team of auditors were flexible and always available to educate and guide us along the compliance journey,” he said. “The level of insight they provided made all of the difference in our examination process.”

Earning their SOC 2 report has greatly helped Raindrop navigate questions from potential clients as to their security posture. “The first question the leadership or cybersecurity team asks is regarding certifications we have earned,” said Ward. “Earning our SOC 2 report has greatly impacted this conversation and allows us to establish a sense of trust and maturity when it comes to our security policies and procedures. SOC 2 has given Raindrop the ability to take our business to the next level and secure more customers.”

Next steps

To learn more about how A-LIGN can help your organization through a variety of cybersecurity compliance assessments and audits, please visit www.a-lign.com/services or complete this form and an A-LIGN expert will reach out to you within 24 hours.

About Raindrop

Raindrop is an enterprise spend management platform built to deliver cost savings and cost containment for customers while reducing their buy-side compliance and risk. Raindrop powers enterprises to fulfill their buy-aspect of their business processes, in the areas of Planning, Supplier Relationship Management, Sourcing, Contracts, and Payables, while providing rich and powerful analytics and insights. Embark on a true enterprise spend management digitization journey with Raindrop, leading to better business strategies and returns on your investments.

For more information, visit https://raindrop.com/