Linford & Company

What Linford & Company does

Linford & Company LLP is a Denver-based, partner-owned Certified Public Accounting firm founded in 2008 that specializes exclusively in IT compliance and assurance auditing services for service organizations, SaaS providers, healthcare technology vendors, cloud service providers, and government contractors. The firm does not perform tax, bookkeeping, or general financial audit work; instead, it delivers a tightly defined portfolio of attestation and certification services including SOC 1 and SOC 2 examinations, HIPAA and HITRUST assessments, FedRAMP, GovRAMP, and CMMC compliance evaluations, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701:2025 certifications, PCI DSS audits, CSA-STAR compliance, and penetration testing executed against MITRE ATT&CK, OWASP, OSSTMM, and NIST frameworks.

The firm competes as an independent alternative to Big Four accounting firms, with a leadership team composed entirely of former Big Four auditors from Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC who hold multiple advanced certifications (CISSP, CISA, CPA, CCSFP, CHQP, CRISC, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor). It holds accreditations that constitute regulatory entry barriers: CPA licensure, AICPA membership, HITRUST Certified Assessor status, CMMC Certified Assessor credentials, FedRAMP and GovRAMP marketplace listing, A2LA accreditation, PCI SSC Qualified Security Assessor status, and CSA-STAR assessor authorization.

Revenue is generated on a fixed-fee professional services model with multi-year engagement cycles. SOC audits typically price between $20,000 and $150,000 with a median around $30,000, positioning the firm significantly below Big Four fee structures while maintaining senior-partner involvement. The firm issues hundreds of SOC 2 reports annually and senior partner Rob Pierce alone has completed over 800 SOC examinations, indicating a high-volume, recurring-revenue professional services business with multi-year client retention (e.g., seven consecutive years with Avochato, four consecutive years with Red8). Go-to-market is consultative and content-driven through blogs, eBooks, and direct inquiry forms, with a global service footprint despite a single Denver office.

Name

Linford & Company

Legal name

Linford & Company, LLP

Website

https://linfordco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Linford & Company LLP is a Denver-based CPA firm specializing in IT compliance audits—SOC 1/2, HIPAA, HITRUST, FedRAMP, GovRAMP, CMMC, ISO 27001/27701, PCI DSS, and penetration testing—for service organizations, healthcare technology vendors, cloud providers, and government contractors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Compliance Auditing Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Cybersecurity & Identity Consulting (BPAHAEAG)

Keywords

• SOC 2 audits
• HIPAA compliance audits
• HITRUST certification
• FedRAMP assessments
• Penetration testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. IT Compliance Audit Services: Linford & Company generates revenue through providing professional IT compliance auditing services including SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, HITRUST, FedRAMP, GovRAMP, CMMC, penetration testing, ISO certifications, PCI DSS, and CSA-STAR assessments. They price engagements on a fixed-fee basis for professional fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Linford & Company is a Denver-based Certified Public Accounting firm that performs independent IT compliance audits and assurance assessments, including SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, HITRUST, FedRAMP, GovRAMP, CMMC, penetration testing, ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701, PCI DSS, and CSA-STAR engagements. The firm serves service organizations, government contractors, healthcare entities, and cloud service providers that require third-party attestation of their controls.

Product overview

Linford & Company is a Denver-based Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm composed of former Big Four auditors and Information Security experts. The firm operates as a professional services company rather than a software product vendor, offering a portfolio of IT compliance auditing and assurance services. The core offerings include SOC 1 and SOC 2 audits (which evaluate service organization controls relevant to financial reporting and Trust Services Criteria respectively), HIPAA compliance audits, HITRUST certification assessments, FedRAMP and GovRAMP compliance assessments, CMMC compliance assessments for defense contractors, penetration testing services, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701:2025 certification services, PCI DSS compliance audits, and CSA-STAR compliance assessments. The firm also provides educational resources including SOC 1 & 2 eBooks, HITRUST fundamentals guides, and HIPAA training materials. These services are designed for organizations of all sizes that need independent third-party IT compliance assessments and certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SOC 1 Audits Evaluates the effect of a service organization's controls on a user entity's financial statement assertions, covering both business process and IT control objectives. Designed for service organizations whose controls impact user entities' internal controls over financial reporting.
• SOC 2 Audits Provides assurance about controls at a service organization relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy, based on AICPA Trust Services Criteria. Targets SaaS companies and service organizations needing to demonstrate security and privacy controls to customers.
• HIPAA Audits Assesses an organization's risk management and regulatory compliance effectiveness with HIPAA Security, Privacy, and Breach Notification Rules for covered entities and business associates handling PHI or ePHI.
• HITRUST Certification Independent assessment of an organization's compliance with the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) to achieve HITRUST CSF certification. Performed as a HITRUST Certified Assessor for organizations seeking validated assessments.
• FedRAMP Compliance Evaluation of a Cloud Service Provider's readiness to meet FedRAMP requirements and obtain Federal Agency or Joint Authorization Board Authorization to Operate (ATO). Linford is listed as an authorized assessor in the FedRAMP Marketplace.
• GovRAMP Assessment Evaluation of a Cloud Service Provider's readiness to meet GovRAMP requirements and obtain GovRAMP Authorization to Operate (ATO) for state government authorization. Linford is an authorized GovRAMP assessor.
• CMMC Compliance Assessment Independent assessment of an organization's compliance with NIST 800-171 requirements in support of Defense Industrial Base contractors under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Linford holds Certified CMMC Assessor credentials.
• Penetration Testing Security evaluation of Web Apps, Cloud Infrastructure, Network, Mobile Apps, IoT, and Source Code using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, OWASP, OSSTMM, and NIST frameworks. Provides domain-specialized offensive security testing for organizations.
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification Assessment and certification demonstrating an organization's commitment to continual improvement, development, and protection of information assets and sensitive data through an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Performed as an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.
• ISO/IEC 27701:2025 Certification Assessment and certification showing that an organization manages personal data with the rigor of a recognized international privacy management system (PIMS).
• PCI DSS Compliance Audits Assessments evaluating a merchant or service provider's controls to protect payment card data from unauthorized access or use. Linford is a PCI SSC Qualified Security Assessor.
• CSA-STAR Compliance Assessment of the security capabilities of cloud service providers, ensuring transparency and assurance by evaluating compliance with cloud security standards and best practices under the Cloud Security Alliance STAR framework.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tevora: Cybersecurity and compliance consulting firm offering SOC 2, HITRUST, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, and penetration testing services. Comparable in scope and target market to Linford.
• KirkpatrickPrice: Boutique CPA firm specializing in SOC 2, SOC 1, HITRUST, and PCI DSS audits for SaaS and service organizations. Direct competitor with a comparable mid-market positioning.
• BARR Advisory: Cloud-based compliance and security firm providing SOC 2, HITRUST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and FedRAMP assessments. Direct peer with overlapping SaaS and healthcare technology client base.
• A-LIGN: Specialized compliance auditing firm offering SOC 2, HITRUST, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, and penetration testing services. A-LIGN competes head-to-head with Linford in the mid-market SaaS and healthcare technology audit space.
• Coalfire: Cybersecurity advisory and FedRAMP-accredited 3PAO providing SOC audits, penetration testing, and FedRAMP/CMMC assessments. Overlaps directly with Linford's compliance audit and federal services offerings.
• Schellman: Leading boutique IT compliance and security assessor specializing in SOC 1/SOC 2, HITRUST, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and FedRAMP. Schellman is the closest direct competitor to Linford, with a similar Big Four-trained talent profile and credential portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG: Big Four accounting firm providing a full range of IT audit, SOC, FedRAMP, and cybersecurity advisory services. Several Linford partners originated from KPMG; it represents the high-end of the competitive landscape.
• BDO USA: Top-tier accounting and advisory firm with a strong IT risk and compliance practice serving mid-market and enterprise clients. Competes with Linford on SOC 1, SOC 2, HITRUST, and ISO assessments at larger scale.
• Armanino: Top 20 U.S. accounting and business consulting firm with a sizable IT audit and SOC 2 practice serving technology and SaaS clients. Direct mid-tier competitor with a broader service portfolio than Linford.
• EY (Ernst & Young): Global Big Four accounting firm offering SOC 1/SOC 2, HITRUST, FedRAMP, and ISO audits. Many Linford partners are former EY employees; EY is the broad incumbent competitor on enterprise-grade engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/linfordco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@linfordcompanyllp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linford-&-company
• Facebookfacebook.com/linfordco

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Linford & Company