What security does my SaaS actually need?

Short answer

At launch: MFA, HTTPS, encrypted storage, secrets in a manager (not env files), vulnerability scanning on every PR, HTTP security headers. When you have paying customers: SOC 2 Type 1, DPA template, incident response playbook. When you have enterprise: SSO, audit logs, compliance certifications.

The realistic maturity ladder for a B2B SaaS:

**Stage 1 — pre-launch (all founders)** - MFA on every admin account - HTTPS everywhere + HSTS - Encryption at rest (default in modern cloud DBs) - Secrets in a manager (Vercel env, Doppler, Vault) — never in git - Security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options) - Pre-deploy vulnerability scan (Securie)

**Stage 2 — first paying customers** - Privacy Policy + Terms of Service + DPA template - Sub-processor list - Breach notification workflow - Customer-facing status page - Disclosure policy (security.txt)

**Stage 3 — first enterprise deal** - SOC 2 Type 1 - SSO option on enterprise tier - Access logs + retention - Trust page with compliance status - Questionnaire answer bank

**Stage 4 — growth** - SOC 2 Type 2 - ISO 27001 (for EU) - Dedicated SecOps monitoring - Annual pentest

Don't skip stages. Stage 3 work at Stage 1 is wasted; Stage 1 gaps at Stage 3 are fatal.

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