How Teams Extend Drata to Fully Pass SOC 2 with Automated Evidence

Achieving SOC 2 compliance using Drata significantly streamlines infrastructure monitoring, but most teams discover a critical gap: application-level controls still require manual evidence. Auditors demand screenshots, workflow recordings, and process documentation that Drata's API integrations cannot capture. To fully pass SOC 2 without manual drudgery, teams must extend Drata by adding automation for these manual tasks. This article explains how to bridge that gap using automated evidence collection tools.

What Does Drata Automate for SOC 2 vs. What Is Missing?

Answer: Drata excels at automating infrastructure-level evidence by connecting to APIs (AWS, GitHub, Google Workspace, Gusto). It automatically validates controls like "Is MFA enabled?" or "Is disk encryption turned on?"

However, Drata cannot automate application-level evidence or process observations. It cannot log into your custom admin panel to take a screenshot of user permissions, nor can it record a manual backup restoration test. This leaves a "Manual Gap" of approximately 20-30% of the audit that teams must still perform by hand.

The SOC 2 Automation Reality

Control Category	Drata Automation Coverage	What Is Missing?
Cloud Infrastructure (AWS/Azure)	✅ 100% (via API)	Contextual console configurations
Device Management (MDM)	✅ 100% (via API)	Physical security of non-MDM devices
HR & Onboarding	✅ 90% (via HRIS)	Evidence of manual background checks
Application Access (CC6.1)	❌ 0% (Manual)	Screenshots of custom admin panels
Change Management (CC8.1)	⚠️ Partial	Evidence for changes outside Jira/GitHub
Backup Restoration (CC7.4)	❌ 0% (Manual)	Proof of successful restoration tests

Where Traditional SOC 2 Automation Stops

While GRC platforms like Drata are the "System of Record" for your audit, they are limited by what public APIs can see. They act as a checklist that turns green when an API returns "True."

The Problem: Auditors don't just trust APIs; they verify implementation. For controls like CC6.1 (Logical Access), an auditor needs to see how access is restricted in your internal tools. Since your internal admin panel doesn't have a public API that Drata can query, Drata creates a "Manual Request" asking you to upload evidence.

The Consequence:

Manual Screenshots: Engineers spend 40-80 hours per quarter taking screenshots of user lists.
Static Evidence: Screenshots often lack timestamps or URL context, leading to auditor rejection.
Audit Fatigue: The "automated" audit becomes a manual scramble during the observation period.

To fix this, teams are switching to Screenata, an AI compliance officer + platform that handles both infrastructure monitoring and application-level evidence. Beyond evidence collection, Screenata reads your codebase, writes your SOC 2 policies based on your real systems, maps controls to Trust Services Criteria, and guides you to audit readiness--replacing both the compliance platform and the consultant.

How Do You Automate the Manual Evidence Gap in Drata?

To fully automate a SOC 2 audit, you need a two-layer approach: Drata for infrastructure APIs and Screenata for application UI/workflow evidence.

Step 1: Identify "Offline" Controls in Drata

Log into Drata and filter your controls by "Source: Manual" or look for controls requiring "Evidence Upload." Common culprits include:

CC6.1: User Access Reviews for internal tools.
CC7.4: Backup Restoration Tests.
CC8.1: Change Management for hotfixes or configuration changes.

Step 2: Record the Workflow with Screenata

Instead of manually taking screenshots, use an automated workflow recorder.

Action: Record the steps to verify user permissions in your admin panel.
Automation: The agent navigates the UI, captures timestamped screenshots of the user list and role definitions, and validates the data.

Step 3: Sync Evidence to Drata

Once the evidence pack (PDF + Screenshots) is generated, it is automatically uploaded to the specific control in Drata.

Result: The manual control in Drata turns green.
Auditor View: The auditor sees the API data (from Drata) alongside the visual proof (from Screenata), satisfying the full requirement.

Example: Automating Logical Access (CC6.1) for Drata

Control Objective: "Logical access to the system is restricted to authorized users."

The Drata Gap: Drata can verify you have MFA on your Identity Provider (Okta/Google), but it cannot verify role-based access control (RBAC) inside your proprietary SaaS product's "Super Admin" dashboard.

The Extended Automation Workflow:

Trigger: A quarterly schedule initiates the "Admin Panel Access Review."
Execution: The automation agent logs into the admin panel.
- Captures a screenshot of the "Users" page.
- Filters for "Admin" role.
- Captures a screenshot showing only authorized personnel have this role.
- Attempts to access a restricted setting as a "Viewer" (Negative Test) and captures the "Access Denied" error.
Documentation: Generates CC6.1_Access_Review_Q1.pdf.
Upload: Pushes the PDF to Drata Control ID CC6.1.

Outcome: The evidence is collected, formatted, and filed without human intervention, turning a 4-hour manual task into a 2-minute automated background process.

Do Auditors Accept Automated Screenshots Uploaded to Drata?

Yes. In fact, auditors often prefer automated evidence over manually collected screenshots.

Why Auditors Trust Automated Extensions:

Chain of Custody: Automated tools record exactly when the evidence was captured and by which system agent, reducing the risk of tampered screenshots (e.g., Photoshop).
Consistency: Every PDF is formatted identically, with visible URLs, timestamps, and control IDs.
Completeness: Automation ensures no steps are skipped. If the workflow requires a "Negative Test" screenshot, the system won't generate the report until it captures it.

When this evidence is housed inside Drata, it presents a unified audit trail: Drata proves the policy exists and the infrastructure is secure; the automated screenshots prove the application logic matches the policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Drata take screenshots for SOC 2?

No. Drata does not capture screenshots. It relies on API connections to monitor configurations. For evidence that requires visual confirmation (like UI workflows or non-API systems), users must manually take screenshots and upload them to Drata.

Can I use Screenata without Drata?

Yes. Screenata is a complete compliance solution. It handles evidence collection (both infrastructure and application), writes your policies from your actual codebase, maps controls to Trust Services Criteria, and guides you to audit readiness with an AI compliance officer. For most startups, Screenata replaces both Drata and the consultant you would need alongside it. See Do You Actually Need a vCISO for SOC 2?

How much time does extending Drata save?

For a typical Series B SaaS company, manual evidence collection for application controls takes ~60-80 hours per quarter. Automating these specific controls reduces that time to <5 hours, a 90%+ reduction in manual effort.

What happens during the audit window?

With Drata extended by evidence automation, you simply grant the auditor access to Drata. They will see a mix of API-verified controls and automated evidence uploads. You avoid the "evidence scavenger hunt" typical of audit weeks.

Key Takeaways

✅ Drata automates infrastructure but has a 20-30% gap regarding application-level evidence, and does not write your policies or tell you what to fix.
✅ Manual evidence collection for controls like CC6.1 and CC8.1 is time-consuming and prone to human error.
✅ Screenata is a complete alternative that handles both infrastructure and application evidence, writes policies from your codebase, and acts as your AI compliance officer.
✅ Auditors accept and prefer automated, timestamped evidence packs over manually pasted Word documents.
✅ The cost difference is significant. Traditional path (Drata + consultant + audit) runs $51K-$110K+. Screenata path runs $15.5K-$24K total.

Learn More About SOC 2 Automation

The Bootstrapped Founder's Guide to SOC 2 -- full cost breakdown and what to expect
Do You Actually Need a vCISO for SOC 2? -- why most startups do not need a consultant anymore
Why ChatGPT SOC 2 Policies Fail Audits -- what auditors actually want in your policies
How to Automate SOC 2 Evidence Collection -- comprehensive SOC 2 automation guide