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Troy Fine

Troy Fine writes about SOC 2 audits, including audit quality, auditor independence, and how companies use SOC 2 reports. Their posts raise practical questions for audit firms, GRC software companies, and businesses preparing for or relying on SOC 2.

Based on 13 posts · latest Oct 2026
LinkedIn

At a glance

Troy Fine is most useful for explaining SOC 2 audit quality, independence, and report use through open questions.

Best for

A GRC software company or campaign needing audit-readiness content or expert review.

Not for

A scripted product endorsement, platform ranking, or buy-now call to action.

Key takeaways

  • SOC 2 quality criticism may partly reflect longer reports making audit work more visible.
  • GRC tool referral fees can create auditor independence threats; rules give no hard percentage.
  • Type 1 conclusions can cut Type 2 testing, but the standards question stays open.

Check first: Confirm audience composition, availability, terms, and recent results for needed roles, seniority, and organization types.

Main ideas
SOC 2's quality problem is partly a visibility problem · GRC tool referral fees can create auditor independence threats · Type 1 conclusions can cut Type 2 testing, but the standards question stays open
Read first
Who actually asks vendors for a SOC 2 report?
Ways to work together
Community fireside chat
Sources for this section

What they are known for

Troy Fine writes about SOC 2 audits and questions surrounding their quality, independence, and practical use.

  • In five reviewed LinkedIn posts, they examine how referral fees from GRC tools may affect auditor independence, how auditors might reuse Type 1 testing in a later Type 2 examination, and why companies request SOC 2 reports.
  • Their posts turn these issues into specific questions rather than treating them as settled.
  • A post about ISO 27001, for example, asks whether SOC 2 draws more criticism partly because its longer reports make audit work more visible.
  • Readers interested in how SOC 2 works and what its reports mean in practice can follow these arguments and the discussion they invite.

Troy Fine connects audit rules and procedures to incentives and real-world consequences.

  • The referral-fee post applies the AICPA’s discussion of fee dependence to revenue from a single GRC tool, then asks what level of dependence could threaten independence when the rules provide no hard percentage.
  • The Type 1 and Type 2 post lays out dates, control-testing methods, and potential time savings before asking whether the approach is common or prohibited.
  • These concrete scenarios make technical questions easier to discuss while leaving room for uncertainty.
  • A community-event announcement also presents SOC 2 as work intended to build customer trust, not only as a subject for audit criticism.
Sources for this section

Ideas and priorities

Troy Fine's posts return to a few connected arguments about SOC 2: audit quality is shaped by transparency and incentives, referral relationships can threaten auditor independence, testing methods involve real trade-offs between cost and coverage, and buyers may use reports less for security assessment than for procurement clearance.

Read more

The style is question-led: Fine lays out a standard, market assumption, or audit scenario, then asks practitioners to discuss it, compare answers, or propose a rule where the guidance is silent.

SOC 2's quality problem is partly a visibility problem

Troy Fine asks why ISO 27001 does not attract the same "low-quality audit" narrative as SOC 2, even when the same audit firms issue both.

Read more

The reasoning centers on what the market can inspect: a SOC 2 report runs 80 to 100 pages, uses non-standardized language, and documents the specific tests performed, giving critics a large surface to examine.

  • An ISO 27001 audit generally ends in a certificate and perhaps a Statement of Applicability, leaving the audit work hidden.
  • Fine does not excuse poor SOC 2 work, saying scrutiny is deserved when firms fall below a minimum quality bar, but treats the criticism as partly structural.

The post asks whether SOC 2 would still face the same narrative if it had prescriptive controls and ended in a one-page certificate instead of a detailed report.

Read original

GRC tool referral fees can create auditor independence threats

Troy Fine takes the AICPA Code's fee-dependence logic, where fees from a single client represent a large share of a firm's revenue, and swaps "a single attest client" for "a single GRC tool."

Read more

The argument is that a large share of a CPA firm's SOC 2 revenue from one tool's referrals can create two threats: self-interest, because the firm focuses on keeping the revenue, and undue influence, because the tool gains leverage over the auditor's judgment.

  • The post notes the AICPA Code does not explicitly address modern GRC tool referrals or define what counts as a large percentage, leaving firms to self-assess safeguards.
  • If safeguards cannot reduce the threats, the firm is expected to stop auditing referred clients.

Troy Fine asks practitioners to propose a maximum percentage of annual SOC 2 revenue that can come from a single GRC tool before independence cannot be safeguarded, listing 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 50% as possible answers.

Read original

Type 1 conclusions can cut Type 2 testing, but the standards question stays open

Troy Fine walks through a sequence in which the same CPA firm performs a SOC 2 Type 1 audit as of September 30, 2026, then a Type 2 audit for July 1 through December 31, 2026.

Read more

For static controls such as MFA, auditors reuse Type 1 conclusions and add a management inquiry for the remaining period; they test sample-based controls across the full Type 2 period.

  • The stated benefit is lower Type 2 cost and a faster six-month report for the client.
  • Fine frames the method as a question, asking whether it is common and whether audit standards explicitly prohibit it.

The concrete control is MFA being enabled. Auditors rely on Type 1 testing, then confirm through management inquiry—though perhaps not in all cases—that the control remained in place from October 1 through December 31, 2026.

Read original

SOC 2 reports may work as a procurement liability shield

Troy Fine challenges the assumption that GRC or Security teams drive requests for prospective vendors' SOC 2 reports.

Read more

The post suggests that at larger companies, Procurement, Legal, or Risk teams increasingly make those requests.

  • If so, Fine argues, SOC 2 is being used less as a vendor security assessment and more as a liability shield, making it a binary checklist item needed to clear procurement.
  • Knowing which teams originate the request would help explain the root cause of SOC 2 quality challenges.

The post asks readers which teams at their company actually require prospective vendors to provide a SOC 2 report, contrasting the assumed answer, GRC or Security, with the suspected answer, Procurement, Legal, or Risk.

Read original

Unresolved standards questions should become group deliberation

Across the posts, Troy Fine tends to open with a direct question, explain the relevant standard, market dynamic, or audit scenario, and invite readers to discuss, compare answers, or propose a consensus view.

Read more

The method is explanatory and debate-oriented rather than promotional. Fine surfaces questions the guidance does not settle, such as a referral-fee threshold or whether a testing shortcut is permitted, and invites practitioners to debate them in public.

The September 9 fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up, titled "Harnessing the Power of SOC 2," extends the same approach to a live community setting, focusing on getting more value from controls and audit work rather than adding to the usual SOC 2 noise.

Read original · Original 2 · Original 3 · Original 4 · Original 5

Sources for this section

Start with their work

Who actually asks vendors for a SOC 2 report?

This answers the question 'what is a SOC 2 report actually for?' and gives newcomers a reason to care about audit quality debates.

Read more

Troy Fine challenges the assumption that security or GRC teams drive requests for a vendor's SOC 2 report.

  • At larger companies, they suggest, procurement, legal or risk teams increasingly make the request.
  • If so, SOC 2 serves less as a security assessment and more as a liability shield—a binary checklist item to clear before procurement can proceed.
  • The post asks readers which teams at their company make the request.

For brands planning a campaign

For a GRC software company, this reframes the buyer: if procurement and legal are asking, audit-readiness content and partnership messaging should address procurement enablement and liability reduction, not only security teams.

Why ISO 27001 escapes the 'low-quality audit' narrative that SOC 2 faces

It answers the question 'why does everyone criticize SOC 2 audits?' with a structural explanation rather than a defense of poor work.

Read more

Troy Fine asks why ISO 27001 certificates attract fewer complaints about low-quality audits than SOC 2 reports, even when the same audit firms issue both.

  • The post's answer is visibility.
  • A SOC 2 report runs 80 to 100 pages and documents the specific tests performed, giving critics a large surface to examine.
  • An ISO 27001 audit ends in a certificate and perhaps a Statement of Applicability, leaving the audit work hidden.
  • Fine wonders whether SOC 2 would face the same criticism if it were prescriptive and ended in a one-page certificate.

For brands planning a campaign

Useful for positioning: report transparency is both the source of SOC 2 scrutiny and a trust advantage. A GRC vendor can make that trade-off part of its content and sales narrative.

Referral fees from a GRC tool: when does auditor independence break?

It shows how Troy Fine turns a standards clause into a practical, unresolved question and offers the clearest example of their focus on auditor independence.

Read more

Troy Fine takes the AICPA rule on fee dependence—where fees from one client represent a large share of a firm's revenue—and swaps 'client' for 'GRC tool'.

  • The result, they argue, describes two threats: self-interest, because the firm focuses on keeping the referral revenue, and undue influence, because the tool gains leverage over the auditor's judgment.
  • The post notes the AICPA sets no hard percentage and expects firms to self-assess, then asks readers to propose a maximum share beyond which independence cannot be safeguarded.

For brands planning a campaign

A GRC tool with a referral program should prepare for this question. A fireside chat or expert review could address disclosure and safeguards before an audit firm raises the issue.

Can a Type 1 audit cut the cost of a later Type 2 report?

It gives a concrete example of audit scope and timing decisions in practice, helping newcomers understand what a SOC 2 engagement involves.

Read more

Troy Fine lays out a sequence: a CPA firm performs a SOC 2 Type 1 audit as of September 30, 2026, then a Type 2 audit for July 1 through December 31, 2026.

  • For static controls such as MFA, auditors reuse Type 1 conclusions, adding a management inquiry for the remaining period, while they test sample-based controls across the full Type 2 window.
  • The post says this saves testing time and lets the client get a six-month Type 2 report faster, then asks whether the approach is common and whether the standards prohibit it.

For brands planning a campaign

Directly relevant to audit-readiness tooling: a GRC product can help firms and clients document evidence reuse, inquiry records and period coverage.

Fireside chat: Harnessing the Power of SOC 2

It shows Troy Fine in a live, community-facing setting and names a topic they discuss publicly, helping readers judge fit for a fireside chat or expert review.

Read more

Troy Fine announces a September 9 fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up, hosted by Rachel Curran's community, on getting more value from SOC 2 work.

  • The conversation steps away from the usual noise to focus on what the report is actually about: implementing controls and hiring auditors in a way that produces useful results for customer trust.
  • Fine notes registration was filling up and points readers to a waitlist.

For brands planning a campaign

For a fireside chat about SOC 2 aimed at GRC professionals and buyers who use SOC 2 to build customer trust, Troy Fine has appeared at a GRC community event on the topic.

Sources for this section

Topics and approach

Posts cited for each topic
Question-led expert discussion as a format4
SOC 2 audit quality as a transparency problem1
Referral fees from a single GRC tool and auditor independence1
Type 1 conclusions and Type 2 testing efficiency1
Who actually asks for a SOC 2 report1
Live GRC community conversation1

SOC 2 audit quality as a transparency problem

Troy Fine asks why ISO 27001 does not face the same “low-quality audit” narrative as SOC 2.

Read more

The post argues that SOC 2 reports expose more audit work: they run 80 to 100 pages, use non-standardized language, and require firms to document specific control tests.

  • In contrast, customers usually see only an ISO 27001 certificate and possibly a Statement of Applicability, leaving the audit work hidden.
  • They suggest SOC 2 scrutiny may be deserved when firms miss a minimum quality bar, but ask whether the narrative would change if SOC 2 produced a one-page certificate instead.

For brands planning a campaign

A GRC software or audit-readiness brand can engage Troy Fine for content that frames SOC 2 quality as a documentation and visibility issue. A fireside chat or expert review could compare how buyers judge audit evidence across SOC 2 and ISO 27001 without becoming a product pitch.

Examples: Source 1

Referral fees from a single GRC tool and auditor independence

Troy Fine applies the AICPA Code’s fee-dependence logic to GRC tool referral fees.

Read more

The post replaces “a single attest client” with “a single GRC tool” and argues that a large share of a CPA firm’s SOC 2 revenue from one tool’s referrals can create self-interest and undue influence threats.

  • The Code does not explicitly address modern GRC tool referrals or define what counts as a “large percentage,” so they say the answer is “it depends” and firms are expected to self-assess safeguards.
  • The post asks practitioners to propose a maximum percentage.

The post notes that the AICPA Code does not explicitly address GRC tool referrals or set a numeric threshold for what counts as a large percentage.

For brands planning a campaign

A GRC platform or CPA firm can use Troy Fine as a neutral voice on referral-fee risk and auditor independence. The topic suits a structured debate, expert Q&A, or co-authored explainer for audit firms and platform partnership teams.

Examples: Source 1

Type 1 conclusions and Type 2 testing efficiency

Troy Fine examines a SOC 2 sequence in which the same CPA firm performs a Type 1 audit with a September 30 “as of” date, followed by a Type 2 audit covering July 1 through December 31.

Read more

The post asks whether auditors can use Type 1 conclusions for static controls such as MFA, document a management inquiry for the remaining period, and sample other controls across the full Type 2 period. They note that this approach can reduce Type 2 costs and let the client obtain a six-month report faster, then ask whether anything in the audit standards prohibits it.

Uses a concrete timeline and a named static control, MFA, to examine whether auditors can reuse Type 1 conclusions and rely on management inquiry for a later Type 2 period.

The post frames the methodology as a question rather than asserting that the standards permit or prohibit it.

For brands planning a campaign

A SOC 2 automation or audit-readiness brand can use this topic for practical content on evidence reuse, control testing, and report timing. Troy Fine can help audiences understand where efficiency gains are defensible and where firms still need to test operating effectiveness.

Examples: Source 1

Who actually asks for a SOC 2 report

Troy Fine challenges the assumption that GRC or Security teams drive requests for prospective vendors’ SOC 2 reports.

Read more

The post suggests that at larger companies, Procurement, Legal, or Risk teams may increasingly make those requests.

  • If so, SOC 2 may function less as a vendor security assessment and more as a liability shield or binary checklist item for clearing procurement.
  • They argue that identifying which teams originate the requests would help explain the root cause of SOC 2 quality challenges.

For brands planning a campaign

A vendor-risk, procurement, or GRC software brand can commission Troy Fine for content aimed at risk, legal, and procurement audiences. The practical angle: how different buyer teams use SOC 2 reports and what that means for vendor-review workflows and audit quality.

Examples: Source 1

Live GRC community conversation

Troy Fine promoted a September 9 fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up titled “Harnessing the Power of SOC 2.”

Read more

The post describes a session that steps away from the usual SOC 2 noise to focus on how companies can get the most out of implementing controls and hiring auditors to produce a report. They highlight the GRC community and SOC 2’s value for building customer trust, and share registration and membership links.

For brands planning a campaign

This post shows Troy Fine taking part in a public GRC community event. A GRC software company could propose a similar fireside chat or expert review, with a practical focus on audit readiness, customer trust, or getting more value from a SOC 2 report.

Examples: Source 1

Question-led expert discussion as a format

Across the posts, Troy Fine tends to open with a direct question, then walk through the relevant standard, market dynamic, or audit scenario.

Read more

The posts invite practitioners to discuss, compare answers, or propose a consensus view. They are explanatory and debate-oriented rather than promotional, using concrete examples such as referral-fee thresholds, MFA testing, and procurement requests.

Most posts open with a direct question, explain the relevant standard or market dynamic, and invite readers to discuss or compare answers.

For brands planning a campaign

A brand should expect a collaborative, question-driven format rather than a scripted endorsement. It suits expert roundtables, LinkedIn discussion series, audit-readiness explainers, and fireside chats for audiences that include auditors, GRC practitioners, and vendor-risk teams.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4

Sources for this section

Brands and businesses

The posts mention no sponsorship, affiliate, ownership, employment, client, or investment relationships.

Read more

Troy Fine announced a fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up, described as a GRC professional community. Ask whether the appearance involved a commercial relationship or sponsorship.

The GRC Meet-up

Mention

Troy Fine announced a fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up titled “Harnessing the Power of SOC 2.”

Read more

The post describes the group as a community of GRC professionals but does not state whether the appearance involved a commercial relationship or sponsorship; ask for clarification.

View example

Sources for this section

Topics and similar creators

Troy Fine writes about how SOC 2 is practised and judged, usually posing a question to other practitioners rather than arguing a settled position.

Read more

Readers new to the work can start with the post comparing SOC 2 with ISO 27001, which explains why audit scrutiny lands harder on one than the other, then read the post asking which teams inside a company request a vendor's SOC 2 report.

  • The thread on referral fees from a single GRC tool and auditor independence, and the walkthrough of reusing Type 1 conclusions in a Type 2 period, show the same approach to narrower questions: set out the standard or scenario, name the trade-off, and invite people to compare answers.
  • The short-form, discussion-oriented writing uses concrete examples such as MFA testing, fee thresholds, and procurement requests, and speaks to auditors, CPA firms, GRC and vendor-risk teams, and buyers.
SOC 2 ISO 27001 Audit quality Auditor independence GRC tool partnerships Vendor risk management SOC 2 testing methods Audit standards interpretation Question-led discussion Live GRC events Auditors and CPA firms GRC practitioners Procurement and risk teams

Jacob Riff

Writes about SOC 2 for small companies in direct, practical terms, including what the process asks of a two-person team and whether a compliance platform is necessary.

Read more

Like Troy Fine, the posts get specific: roughly 20 policies, 100 to 150 controls, penetration testing, and the Type I and Type II observation periods. They name the trade-offs instead of overselling the process.

Jacob Riff writes from inside a compliance platform company, advising founders on getting through an audit and candidly calling a platform a convenience, not a requirement.

  • Troy Fine writes from the audit-methodology side, questioning how audits are performed and how referral relationships affect auditor judgment.
  • They address auditors, CPA firms, and GRC practitioners rather than founders shopping for readiness help.

Read original · Original 2

Adam Holmgren

Documents a bootstrapped company's SOC 2 experience firsthand, covering policy writing, auditor selection, and cost.

Read more

It also questions what certification is worth when cheap audits are unreliable. The post on the Delve compliance scandal—where 494 reports were fabricated and auditor conclusions were written before evidence was submitted—connects directly to Troy Fine's argument that visibility and incentives shape audit quality.

Adam Holmgren writes as an operator going through certification, tying compliance to company growth numbers and the hiring of a specific California accounting firm.

  • Troy Fine focuses on standards and market structure, asking whether a practice is permitted or whether an independence threat can be safeguarded.
  • They leave the first-person compliance journey to others.

Read original · Original 2

Tom Gell

Argues that SOC 2 taught the market to treat security as a checklist a platform can automate, contrasting it with ISO 27001's risk-based logic and Statement of Applicability.

Read more

A third-party post built on the Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, and NHS breaches makes the same vendor-risk point Troy Fine raises when they ask which teams request a vendor's SOC 2 report.

Tom Gell states conclusions in a forceful essay voice and closes with a fixed sign-off, writing for small companies facing supplier risk. Troy Fine usually opens with an open question, leaves contested points unsettled, and invites auditors and GRC practitioners to debate them in public.

Read original · Original 2

Sources for this section

Audience

Troy Fine’s posts focus on SOC 2 audits, audit quality, independence, and how companies use reports.

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That subject matter may suit a campaign aimed at GRC and audit professionals. Before booking, request recent audience results for the specific professional roles and organization types the campaign needs, plus documented survey results or another source for occupation and seniority.

Sources for this section

Partnership options

Troy Fine’s posts focus on SOC 2 audit quality, auditor independence, examination methods and how companies use SOC 2 reports.

Read more

The partnership example is a community fireside chat for GRC professionals, not a documented sponsorship offering. No sponsorship packages, rates or inquiry route are listed; brands interested in working together should propose terms directly.

Community fireside chat

Buyer requirement

Troy Fine announced a fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up on getting more value from SOC 2.

  • The post lists the event time as 11:30 a.m.
  • ET on September 9 and directs readers to register, with Rachel Curran named for waitlist help.
  • The post does not say whether the appearance was paid or provide sponsorship terms; ask the community about those before booking.
Sources for this section

Campaign fit

A campaign to shortlist

A GRC software company wants Troy Fine to sharpen its audit-readiness content and help shape its partnership strategy, with a fireside chat or expert review as the deliverable.

Read more

Their posts fit the brief: they explain why SOC 2 reports attract scrutiny that ISO 27001 certificates avoid.

  • An 80-to-100-page report documents the specific control tests performed, while an ISO 27001 audit ends in a certificate and possibly a Statement of Applicability.
  • They also work through a concrete Type 1 and Type 2 sequence: MFA conclusions from a Type 1 are reused with a management inquiry for a later period, while sample-based controls are tested across the full Type 2 window.
  • Both examples give a GRC platform material for explaining evidence reuse, inquiry records, and period coverage.
  • Troy Fine also has a demonstrated community event: a September 9 fireside chat with The GRC Meet-up on getting more value from SOC 2 work, aimed at GRC practitioners and companies using SOC 2 to build customer trust.
  • The question-led, non-promotional format suits a chaired conversation or an expert review of the brand's own content.
  • Before booking, ask for audience composition, availability, and terms.

When to choose a specialist

A materially different need would be a scripted product endorsement: a vendor asks Troy Fine to rank GRC platforms, name a clear winner for startup founders, and close with a buy-now call to action.

Read more

Their posts do not support that format.

  • They pose open questions and invite practitioners to compare answers: whether SOC 2 would face the same criticism if it ended in a one-page certificate; what maximum share of SOC 2 revenue can come from one tool's referrals before independence cannot be safeguarded; and whether the standards prohibit reusing Type 1 conclusions.
  • On referral fees, the post resolves to 'it depends' and asks readers to propose a threshold rather than endorsing a rule or a vendor.
  • The one disclosed collaboration is a community fireside chat with no stated fee.
  • A definitive platform ranking and promotional close would cut against the demonstrated format.
  • The posts also provide no dated occupation, seniority, or company-type data, so a campaign aimed specifically at startup founders cannot be validated.
  • Ask for audience data and commercial terms before pursuing that brief.
A worked campaign example

A workable angle for the GRC software brief: a chaired fireside chat, followed by an expert review built around one question: what makes audit evidence worth reading?

  • Open with the SOC 2 transparency question, noting that a 100-page report exposes the tests performed while an ISO 27001 audit leaves the work hidden behind a certificate.
  • Then move to a concrete sequence: a Type 1 audit as of September 30 with a Type 2 covering July 1 to December 31, where MFA conclusions are reused with a management inquiry and sample-based controls are tested across the full period.
  • Ask the audience whether that approach is common and whether the standards prohibit it.
  • Close on who actually asks for a report: if procurement, legal, and risk teams drive the request, the report functions as a liability shield and a procurement checklist item, changing what audit-readiness content should say.
  • The brand's role is to host the conversation and capture the discussion, not pitch during it.
  • A separate expert review can apply the same lens to the brand's audit-readiness material, testing whether it explains evidence reuse, inquiry records, and period coverage.
  • For partnership strategy, the referral-fee post offers a concrete, non-promotional asset: a platform partnership page addressing independence threats and safeguards and disclosing any referral arrangements.
  • Ask for availability, terms, and current audience results for the roles and company types in the brief.
Sources for this section

Who else to consider

Jacob Riff

Choose Riff for a campaign aimed at founders who need a practical walkthrough of SOC 2 preparation.

Read more

The two posts lay out the sequence a small team actually goes through: roughly twenty policy documents that someone has to read and adapt, around 100 to 150 controls each proven with documentation, a vendor risk assessment covering every tool that touches customer data, and usually a penetration test.

  • They explain the difference between a Type I that looks at a single day and a Type II with a three-to-six-month observation period, and note that an engagement letter from an auditor can keep a blocked deal moving before the attestation exists.
  • One post also answers the objection that a compliance platform is a waste of money by separating what a platform adds from what it does not—a useful approach if the brand's own content has to make that same argument honestly.

The walkthrough comes from someone selling a compliance platform, so its practical detail also makes a case for the product—even while conceding the audit can be completed with a spreadsheet and a shared drive.

  • Troy Fine's posts stay on the audit and ethics side: how reports are scrutinised, how Type I conclusions get reused in a Type II, and whether referral fees create an independence threat.
  • They do not sell compliance software.
  • A brief that needs an implementation walkthrough for buyers gets more from Riff; one that needs audit methodology or CPA firm independence gets more from Fine.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

Adam Holmgren

Choose Holmgren for a customer-side certification story rather than an audit-method story.

Read more

The two posts describe a two-person bootstrapped company going through SOC 2 Type I: writing policy documents, finding an auditor on a small budget, encountering the Delve fabrication scandal, and concluding that who certifies you now matters more than the certificate itself.

  • They name the chosen firm, describe the two months spent deciding to sign, credit a co-founder for the work, and close with the plan for Type II.
  • The second post adds current trading context—growth from 100k to 500k to 1.3M ARR, 750 paying customers, a first hire, channel expansion—making it a fit for a campaign tying the compliance journey to a live go-to-market story.

Compliance is one thread in a broader company update.

  • Ask for examples of how controls are tested, evidence is assessed, and reports are structured.
  • Troy Fine's material focuses entirely on the audit product: reusing MFA conclusions from a Type I with a management inquiry, sampling across a full Type II period, referral-fee thresholds that threaten independence, and which internal teams request a vendor report.
  • Choose Holmgren for a founder's firsthand account of buying and surviving certification; choose Fine for the mechanics and ethics of producing and evaluating the report.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

Tom Gell

Choose Gell for a campaign making a framework argument with a third-party risk angle.

Read more

One post contrasts a risk-based ISO 27001, where the Statement of Applicability is a set of decisions you have to defend, with a SOC 2 that the market treats as a checklist of criteria you satisfy with proof, and explains why compliance platforms built for lists struggle with ISO.

  • The other works through three large breaches caused by suppliers—Jaguar Land Rover through credentials held at an electronics partner, Marks & Spencer through an outsourced IT helpdesk, the NHS through a private pathology provider—to argue that vendor due diligence exists because the weakest link is someone you let in.
  • This suits a positioning or opinion piece about how audit frameworks shape security behaviour.

The posts are advocacy-first, close with a recurring sign-off, and the strongest piece sits on the ISO 27001 and third-party risk side rather than SOC 2 report production.

  • Troy Fine's posts put open questions to practitioners and work through the audit firm's own decisions in more granular detail: control testing across a Type II period, inquiry records, and whether referral fees from a single tool can be safeguarded.
  • Choose Gell for a sharp critique of checkbox compliance and supply chain exposure; choose Fine for SOC 2 report specifics and how audit firms handle independence.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

Sources for this section

Build your campaign brief

Editable Markdown templates for planning a campaign with this creator.

Campaign brief (blank, portable)

GRC software company: audit-readiness content and partnership strategy

Scripted platform endorsement: a brief to reshape before sending

Sources for this section

Research methodology

  • Troy Fine's five LinkedIn posts discuss SOC 2 audit quality compared with ISO 27001, referral fees from a single GRC tool and auditor independence, reusing Type 1 conclusions in a Type 2 period, which teams inside a company request a vendor's SOC 2 report, and a GRC Meet-up fireside chat on getting more value from SOC 2 work.
  • The posts carry no publication dates, and the fireside-chat post names a September 9 event without a year, so readers cannot place them on a timeline.
  • The posts are all short-form and on one channel; no long-form writing, interviews, talks on record, or full career material appears in the posts here.
  • Troy Fine's posts do not mention signature books, shows, businesses, or earlier career work, so a reader looking for those would not find them here.
  • The overview, ideas, relationships, discovery, and campaign-fit sections reflect the same posts, keeping the profile consistent.

Brands they talk about