Do I need a SOC 2 before my first customer?

Probably not. But buyers will check your public security signals. A clean outside-in scan is cheap and fast.

Which domain should I scan?

The production hostname your first customer will visit. Not localhost, not a preview URL.

What if my score is low?

Fix the top public failures first. TLS, headers, and email auth are usually quick wins. Rescan after you ship fixes.

Is this enough for enterprise buyers?

It is the right first pass. Enterprise buyers will ask for more later. Start with the free scan and fix what fails.

Startup security checklist before your first customer

Why do startups need a security checklist?

Your first customer will check your domain before they trust you with their data. A quick external scan takes 60 seconds. Fixing public gaps before that conversation is cheaper than explaining them during it.

Most early-stage teams skip security until a buyer asks. This checklist is the minimum viable security check: run it on your production domain, fix what fails, rescan.

What is on the startup security checklist?

Scan your production domain from the outside.
Check TLS and HTTPS on the hostname customers will use.
Review security headers on your deployed app.
Verify DNS hygiene for dangling or stale records.
Check email authentication so your domain cannot be spoofed.
Look for public exposure that should not be internet-facing.
Rescan after fixes to confirm the grade moved.

RedScore covers all of this in one outside-in pass. See the startup security scanner page for what each category includes.

How do I run it?

Go to /lookup and enter your production domain. Read the category grades. Fix the top failures. Rescan after you deploy changes.

This takes about 60 seconds to run and a few hours to fix the common issues. Do it before you send your first onboarding email or share your production URL in a sales deck.

What should I fix first?

Prioritize what outsiders can see and what is fast to fix:

TLS problems. Expired certs, weak configs, or missing HTTPS redirects.
Security headers. HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, and similar headers missing from responses.
Email auth. DMARC at p=none or missing SPF/DKIM lets attackers spoof your domain.
DNS hygiene. Records pointing to services you no longer use.
Public exposure. Services or endpoints that should not be reachable from the internet.

Skip the deep stuff for now. You do not need a pentest before customer one. You need a clean public posture.

What comes after the checklist?

Once your first customers are onboarded and you handle real data:

Claim your domain on RedScore for full findings and scheduled rescans.
Start thinking about SOC 2 or ISO 27001 if enterprise buyers require it.
Book a pentest when you need active testing beyond public signals.

The outside-in scan is step one. It catches the gaps that are visible today without costing you a security consultant retainer.