Best compliance automation platforms: A comparison guide

As data privacy regulations and security standards are becoming increasingly stringent, the demand for compliance automation platforms is on the rise.

But with the growing number of platforms on the market, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. After all, not every compliance tool is going to provide a solution to your specific problem. You need to find the right fit that suits your business requirements and goals.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to equip you with the knowledge and resources to confidently choose the right compliance automation platform for your business.

Why you need a compliance automation platform

Businesses of all sizes, from fledgling startups to established enterprises, are juggling a growing list of regulations like SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR. Manually managing compliance can be a time-consuming and error-prone process, diverting valuable resources away from core business functions.

This is where compliance automation platforms come in. These innovative solutions streamline the compliance journey, automating repetitive tasks, centralising documentation, and providing real-time insights.

Criteria for evaluating compliance automation platforms

Before delving into a comparison of the best compliance automation platforms, it’s crucial to establish the criteria to evaluate these platforms effectively.

Here are some key questions you can ask:

• Comprehensiveness: How well does the platform cover a wide range of compliance requirements, such as SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001?
• Automation capabilities: How comprehensive is the automation offered? Does it cover key tasks like policy management, continuous monitoring, and evidence collection?
• Ease of implementation: Is the platform easy to integrate into your existing systems and workflows without causing significant disruptions?
• Accuracy and reliability: How accurately does the platform assess and monitor compliance? Is it reliable in providing real-time insights and alerts?
• Scalability: Can the platform accommodate the evolving needs of your growing businesses, both in terms of scale and complexity?
• User experience: Is the platform user-friendly, with intuitive interfaces and comprehensive documentation? Can your team – regardless of technical expertise – navigate the platform with ease? Intuitive interfaces and user-friendly features are essential.
• Cost-effectiveness: Does the platform offer value for money, considering both the upfront costs and long-term benefits?
• Support and maintenance: What level of support and ongoing maintenance does the platform provider offer to ensure smooth operation and timely updates?

Once you are able to answer these questions, you are in a good position to begin searching for a reputable risk management services provider for your business.

Top 5 compliance automation platforms

1. Vanta

Vanta is one of the world’s leading compliance automation platforms. With its robust set of features and seamless integration capabilities, Vanta offers businesses a comprehensive solution for achieving and maintaining compliance across various regulatory frameworks, such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and USDP. Even more, Vanta can create custom frameworks according to your custom controls and policies.

Key features:

• Continuous monitoring: Vanta provides real-time monitoring of security controls, allowing businesses to stay ahead of potential compliance breaches.
• Automated assessments: Through automated assessments and scans, Vanta streamlines the compliance audit process, saving time and resources.
• Customisable workflows: Vanta’s customisable workflows enable businesses to tailor compliance processes to their specific requirements, enhancing efficiency and flexibility.
• Actionable insights: Vanta offers actionable insights and recommendations for remediation, empowering businesses to address compliance gaps proactively.
• Integration capabilities: With seamless integration with existing tools and platforms, Vanta ensures minimal disruption to workflow and operations.

2. Drata

Drata helps businesses automate compliance with regulations like SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR. Its intuitive interface and customisable workflows make it accessible for teams of all sizes, empowering them to focus on core business activities while ensuring security and compliance requirements are met.

Key features:

• Automates compliance tasks: Drata automates time-consuming tasks such as evidence collection and control monitoring, freeing up your team to focus on other important work.
• Integrates with many systems: It integrates with a wide range of other systems, such as cloud storage providers and security tools, which can help to streamline the compliance process.
• Easy to use: The platform is designed to be easy to use, even for businesses with no prior compliance experience.
• Robust features: It offers a wide range of features to help businesses comply with regulations, including automated workflows, reporting tools, and audit trails.
• Excellent customer support: Drata is known for its excellent customer support, which can be helpful if you have any questions or problems.

3. OneTrust

OneTrust offers a cloud-based trust intelligence platform designed to help businesses build trust with their customers. Their platform offers a variety of solutions including data discovery, privacy management, and risk and compliance. OneTrust’s platform is easy to use and can help businesses easily comply with data privacy regulations.

Key features:

• Trust intelligence platform: OneTrust offers a comprehensive platform that helps businesses manage all aspects of trust, including data privacy, risk, and compliance.
• Data discovery: The platform can help businesses discover where all their data is located, which is essential for compliance with data privacy regulations.
• Privacy management: It offers a suite of tools to help businesses manage their privacy obligations, such as consent management and data subject access requests.
• Risk and compliance: OneTrust can help businesses identify and mitigate risks associated with data privacy, and comply with a wide range of data privacy regulations.
• Easy to use: The platform is easy to use, even for businesses with no prior experience with data privacy compliance.

4. Scrut

Scrut is a risk-focused compliance automation platform designed specifically for cloud-native businesses. It emphasises streamlining information security processes for companies operating in the cloud environment.

Key features:

• Cloud-native focus: Scrut caters specifically to the needs of cloud-native businesses, meaning its features and integrations align seamlessly with popular cloud platforms.
• Risk-based approach: It prioritises risk management within the compliance process, helping businesses identify and address areas that pose the highest security threats.
• Simplified compliance: The platform aims to simplify the compliance journey by automating repetitive tasks, centralising documentation, and providing real-time insights.
• Audit collaboration: Scrut’s software facilitates collaboration with auditors by allowing them to access relevant information directly on the platform, streamlining the audit process.
• Cost-effectiveness: Scrut positions itself as a cost-effective solution for achieving and maintaining compliance, potentially reducing the resource burden associated with manual processes.

5. HyperProof

HyperProof is a compliance operations software designed to streamline and simplify the management of compliance programs, audits, and certifications. It offers a user-friendly platform that helps organisations automate and centralise their compliance processes, enabling efficient collaboration and evidence collection.

Key features:

• Centralised compliance: HyperProof’s centralised platform is designed for managing compliance programs, and allowing organisations to track requirements, controls, and tasks across multiple frameworks and regulations from a single interface.
• Automated workflow: The platform automates compliance tasks, workflows, and reminders, reducing manual effort and ensuring timely completion of activities such as evidence collection, assessment, and remediation.
• Evidence collection: It facilitates the collection, organisation, and storage of evidence required for compliance audits and certifications, helping businesses maintain a comprehensive audit trail and demonstrate compliance effectively.
• Collaboration and accountability: It’s great at promoting collaboration among team members involved in compliance efforts by providing shared access to compliance documents, tasks, and communication channels.
• Customisable Reporting: The platform offers tailored reporting features and dashboards that allow businesses to generate detailed insights into their compliance posture, and track progress over time.

How to find the right compliance platform

With so many compliance automation platforms out there, you must carefully consider your specific needs and priorities before making a decision.

Here are some key factors to consider:

• Compliance requirements: Evaluate which regulatory frameworks are most relevant to your business and ensure that the chosen platform adequately addresses those requirements.
• Resource allocation: Consider the resources (time, budget, personnel) available for implementing and maintaining the compliance automation platform.
• Scalability: Assess whether the platform can scale alongside your business growth and accommodate evolving compliance needs.
• Integration compatibility: Determine how well the platform integrates with your existing systems and tools to minimize disruptions and maximize efficiency.
• Support and training: Look for a provider that offers comprehensive support and training to facilitate smooth onboarding and ongoing usage.
• Feedback and reviews: Seek feedback from peers and industry experts, as well as reviews and testimonials from existing users of the platform.
• Long-term strategy: Align the choice of platform with your long-term strategic goals and vision for compliance management within your organization.

Automated compliance wins trust

Choosing the right automation platform is crucial for businesses seeking to effectively navigate the growing complexities of regulations.

By carefully evaluating criteria that align with your business’s specific compliance needs and long-term strategic goals, you can make an informed decision that keeps you continuously compliant. Ultimately, the platform you choose should empower your business to achieve and maintain compliance seamlessly, fostering trust, and facilitating sustainable growth in an increasingly regulated environment.

WeAreBrain x Vanta

As the Managed Services Provider (MSP) for Vanta in the Benelux region, WeAreBrain is committed to empowering tech companies with comprehensive risk management solutions, facilitating growth, and fostering customer trust in the digital age.

Through a synergistic partnership, WeAreBrain and Vanta are paving the way for a secure and prosperous future for tech companies in the Benelux and beyond.

Try our vCISO automation today

Our vCISO automation delivers scalability and flexibility to empower businesses to adapt to evolving security and compliance challenges. It is designed to enable real-time threat detection, rapid response to security incidents, and continuous network activity monitoring to minimise the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

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Mario Grunitz

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