Your product can win the demo and still die in security review. Mid-market and enterprise buyers now treat SSO, automated provisioning, and a current SOC 2 Type II as table stakes—especially if you touch ERP-adjacent data or employee PII. Build these once, productize them, and stop negotiating one-off exceptions.
Identity: what “SSO” must mean
- SAML 2.0 and/or OIDC with Entra ID, Okta, and Google as first-class
- SP-initiated and IdP-initiated flows
- Just-in-time provisioning with domain capture rules
- SCIM 2.0 for create/update/deactivate—not a CSV every quarter
- Role mapping from IdP groups, documented for IT
Trust artifacts buyers will request
| Artifact | Why they ask | Stale if |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type II | Operating effectiveness over time | > 15 months old |
| Pen test summary | External attack surface | No retest after major launch |
| Subprocessors list | Data residency & DPAs | Missing AI inference vendors |
| DPA + SCC/UK addendum | Legal transfer basis | Unsigned or generic |
| Status page & RTO/RPO | Operational maturity | Marketing-only uptime claims |
Security features that unblock IT
- Audit logs exportable to SIEM (who changed billing, roles, API keys).
- Admin MFA enforcement and session timeout controls.
- IP allowlisting for sensitive tenants (even if optional).
- Clear data retention and deletion APIs for offboarding.
Conclusion
Enterprise readiness is a product surface: SSO, SCIM, logs, and credible compliance artifacts. Ship them before the first Fortune 2000 RFP, keep subprocessors honest when you add AI features, and make offboarding as professional as onboarding. That checklist turns security review from a stall into a close plan.