Case Study: Kordon Takes Esgrid to SOC 2 Success in 6 Months

Customer Overview

Esgrid is a Value Chain Risk and Relationship Management Platform designed to automate and streamline risk assessments and relationship management for businesses. The platform allows organizations to gather and analyze data from their suppliers, customers, and other value chain participants.

Challenge

As Esgrid prepared to scale, it became clear that a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS) was essential to safeguard customer data and meet industry expectations. To demonstrate its commitment to security, Esgrid aimed to achieve SOC 2 readiness—a widely recognized standard for information security—in just 3 months and head straight for a Type 2 audit in 6 months.

However, the company faced several challenges:

• Time Constraints: Implementing an ISMS and preparing for an audit is a complex process that often takes over a year. Esgrid needed a structured approach to compress the timeline while maintaining compliance integrity.
• Lack of Experience: The company had no-one with prior experience building an ISMS based on a recognised framework.
• Limited Resources: With a lean team, Esgrid needed a solution that would reduce the workload on internal staff while ensuring high-quality security practices.
• Audit Readiness: Beyond implementation, Esgrid had to ensure it could provide auditors with the necessary evidence and documentation to pass the SOC 2 audit without major issues.

To meet these challenges, Esgrid turned to Kordon.

Solution

Kordon provided a structured, hands-on approach to ISMS implementation, helping Esgrid go from zero to audit-ready in just six months. The process included:

1. Fast-Track Implementation with Preloaded Controls

Kordon populated Esgrid’s account with a set of proven security controls—including policies, processes, and technical safeguards—that had successfully passed SOC 2 audits before. These controls provided a solid foundation, reducing the time needed to develop security measures from scratch.

2. Weekly Expert Guidance and Slack Support

To tailor the controls to Esgrid’s unique needs, Kordon co-founder Martin held six weekly strategy calls with Esgrid’s CTO. These sessions helped fine-tune security policies, define clear responsibilities, and align implementation efforts with Esgrid’s business operations.

To ensure quick resolution of day-to-day issues, Kordon also set up a shared Slack channel, allowing Esgrid’s team to get real-time support.

3. Hands-On Implementation of Security Controls

Esgrid’s CTO, Jevgeni led the implementation of security controls, including:

• Deploying technical security measures (e.g. logging and monitoring, access controls, encryption).
• Using Kordon’s platform to document compliance efforts and assign responsibilities.
• Engaging internal stakeholders to ensure adherence to security policies and processes.

4. Preparing for the Audit

As the audit approached, Kordon provided hands-on assistance in:

• Getting auditor quotes and selecting the right firm.
• Reviewing compliance documentation to ensure completeness.
• Simulating audit scenarios to identify potential gaps before the formal assessment.

5. On-Demand Support During the Audit

During the SOC 2 audit, Kordon remained actively involved, helping Esgrid:

• Respond to auditor requests efficiently.
• Determine appropriate evidence for different audit criteria.
• Resolve last-minute compliance questions to avoid delays.

Results

With Kordon’s structured approach and hands-on support, Esgrid successfully completed the SOC 2 Type 2 audit six months—50% faster than the industry average. The streamlined process ensured Esgrid’s security framework was both robust and practical, allowing the team to maintain focus on business growth while embedding compliance into everyday operations.

Key Controls That Made the Biggest Impact

1. Efficient, Pre-Written Policies and Processes: Instead of drafting security policies from scratch, Esgrid was able to adopt Kordon’s battle-tested policy templates, which were tailored to fit the company’s needs. This significantly accelerated the documentation process and ensured alignment with SOC 2 requirements.
2. Vendor Risk Management: Esgrid’s reliance on third-party cloud services meant vendor security had to be tightly controlled. Kordon provided structured workflows to track and assess vendor security posture, strengthening Esgrid’s overall risk management.
3. Security Awareness Training: Using Kordon’s platform, Esgrid was able to automate security training for employees, ensuring company-wide compliance with policies and reducing human risk factors.

“We knew SOC 2 compliance would be a leap, but Kordon made the process very manageable. The structured approach, expert guidance, and real-time support saved us months of effort.

We got a clear roadmap and a set of controls that actually made sense for our business. Six months later, we were audit-ready with confidence.”
— Jevgeni Bogatõrjov, CTO, Esgrid

Key Metrics

Conclusion

Esgrid’s journey demonstrates that achieving SOC 2 compliance in record time is possible with the right strategy, tools, and expert support. Kordon’s combination of preloaded security controls, hands-on guidance, and compliance automation helped Esgrid implement an ISMS, streamline the audit process, and pass with confidence—all in just six months.

With a solid ISMS foundation in place, Esgrid is now well-positioned to continuously manage and develop its security program as the company scales. Even without hiring a security manager for the time being, using Kordon, the team can efficiently track compliance, update policies as needed, and adapt to evolving security and regulatory requirements.

For growing companies looking to establish an ISMS quickly, Kordon provides a proven path to security and compliance success.