Security frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA aren’t just checkboxes—they’re trust signals. In 2025, meeting a minimal security baseline is no longer a “nice to have” for SaaS startups. It’s a requirement.

The Core Baseline (No Exceptions)

1. Identity & Access Management

• MFA everywhere
• Role-based access
• No long-lived credentials

2. Network Security

• Private subnets for all sensitive services
• WAF at every public ingress
• Zero public S3 buckets

3. Secrets & Config Management

• Secret managers only
• No plaintext config files ever

4. Monitoring & Logging

• Centralized logs
• Real-time alerting
• Immutable audit trails

5. Data Protection

• Encryption in-transit & at-rest
• Backups with disaster recovery
• Data retention policy

Why This Baseline Matters

The earlier you implement these, the smoother compliance becomes. Retroactive remediation is painful (and expensive).

Final Thought

Security isn’t a blocker to innovation—it’s a foundation for scaling.