Bytescale

CHALLENGE

A small team required support to meet customers’ security requirements

Lawrence Wagerfield, Founder and CEO of Bytescale, has driven the company’s growth and innovation over the years. Originally launched as a file upload service for developers, Bytescale has evolved into a robust platform offering an array of features for handling user generated content (UGC), including image optimization, video and audio transcoding, virus scanning, permanent caching, and more.

With its increased functionality, Bytescale began to gain attention from larger companies. That meant more security questionnaires and higher security standards.

According to Lawrence, “a lot of companies would pause in the sales cycle because we didn’t have a recognized security certification. We quickly understood that obtaining SOC 2 was essential to winning more large-scale contracts and building trust at the enterprise level.”

With a software development background, Lawrence was somewhat familiar with compliance, but had never managed the process of a security audit. He knew he needed support.

The Bytescale team was looking for an all-in-one compliance solution with an easy-to-use platform and experts to guide them through the SOC 2 certification process: audit prep, the audit itself, and ongoing compliance monitoring.

SOLUTION

Partnering with Thoropass resulted in a 70% time savings on compliance tasks

Bytescale shopped around, and Thoropass was the only solution to fit the bill.

Reflecting on their selection process Lawerence noted that “it was crucial for us to have a comprehensive solution at an all-inclusive price. Thoropass was the only provider that truly delivered a one-stop shop for all our compliance needs, from preparation, to audit, to ongoing monitoring.”

Implementing Thoropass was easy, and Lawrence appreciated the weekly calls with his dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM). The CSM answered questions, shared templates, and other resources, and helped the Bytescale team stay on track as they put the required policies and procedures in place.

Lawerence pointed out that, “if there was anything we weren’t sure about, we would ask our CSM on one of our weekly calls. He would either do it for us then and there or point us in the right direction.”

In addition to the expert guidance, the Thoropass platform made it easy for the small Bytescale team to see and check off each of the SOC 2 requirements.

“With Thoropass guiding us through each step, we bridged the gap between our foundational security practices and the high standards required for SOC 2 compliance, ultimately establishing a robust security posture that both we and our customers have complete confidence in,” explained Lawerence.

Among Lawrence’s favorite features were the time-saving integrations such as AWS, which automatically collects information for the audit. Lawrence estimated a 70% time savings on manual compliance tasks with Thoropass’s streamlined process.

RESULTS

400% ROI and improved confidence in their platform

With its successful SOC 2 certification, Bytescale saw a 400% return on investment in the first year due to customer acquisition and retention and won 80% more enterprise deals.

According to Lawerence, “achieving SOC 2 with Thoropass has paid for itself many times over. The certification has transformed how customers view us, resulting in a 400% ROI in the first year through increased customer acquisition and retention.”

In addition to revenue growth, SOC 2 has transformed the company’s security. Bytescale can now answer “yes” to 40% more questions on security questionnaires due to safeguards in place.

Working through the process has deepened Lawrence’s appreciation for compliance at an operational, commercial, and strategic level.

Reflecting on his experience, Lawerence stated “in my early days as a developer, I viewed compliance as just a checkbox task. Today, after implementing targeted improvements across our infrastructure, code, and release processes, our platform is more secure and reliable than ever. Thoropass helped us realize that SOC 2 is far more than a compliance requirement—it’s a valuable security framework that provides tangible benefits to organizations of any size.”