In the modern-day information security and compliance landscape, there’s no shortage of tools, software, and platforms that promise to take over the burden of security compliance and provide effortless, smooth, and user-friendly solutions.
But this comes as no surprise to us – we get it. Naturally, finding the ideal security compliance SaaS solution can be challenging (and daunting) considering the many factors that impact the decision-making process (your industry, risk landscape, budget, regulatory requirements).
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering a compliance management platform other than Vanta.
A Vanta Refresher
Vanta often pops up as a focal point when discussing compliance platforms, and rightly so – they were one of the first compliance management platforms for SaaS businesses. They’re well-established in the space and are often considered the go-to solution for helping users scale compliance frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and more.
In brief, Vanta is known for automating compliance-related tasks and helps companies streamline the audit-readiness process. It does this primarily by monitoring your security posture, surfacing risks across the infrastructure, collecting evidence, and managing vulnerabilities.
Sounds good! So why look further?
Why Look for an Alternative to Vanta?
No compliance management platform is created equal, and Vanta is no exception. Specific platforms and solutions just simply suit certain companies better than others. For example, a particular reason that may prompt users to explore Vanta alternatives may be due to Vanta’s limited third-party risk management. Additionally, some users also feel Vanta lags behind in terms of the number of frameworks supported, the level of customization, and the steep learning curve upon implementation.
In a Gartner survey of 100 executive risk committee members in September 2022, 84% of respondents said that third-party risk “misses” resulted in operations disruptions. Although each solution may have its drawbacks, this confirms the need to be eagle-eyed when evaluating your options, as certain limitations, like third-party risk management, could easily expose companies to security vulnerabilities stemming from their vendor relationships without them even knowing it.
Top 5 Vanta Alternatives
So, what’s on the menu if you’re shopping for alternatives that match your organization’s needs?
#1 Scytale
Scytale is fast becoming the leading choice regarding preferred compliance and risk management tools. This is primarily due to filling a critical need in the market: providing uncomplicated compliance. Scytale is praised for its ability to streamline the entire compliance management process across industries of any size. This is particularly valuable for startups without a designated compliance team or organizations that need to manage multiple frameworks at once and need a tool that scales along with them.
While supporting over 15 frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS compliance, and more, Scytale goes one step further, offering specific solutions for various industries and use cases, including compliance experts, penetration testing, startups, and GRCaaS.
#2 Lacework
Lacework is another alternative that’s quickly climbing the ranks. Lacework provides companies with comprehensive visibility into their cloud infrastructure, sending instant notifications if any configurations fall short of compliance. It’s your go-to watchful eye and tracks all cloud interactions to help you proactively mitigate any risks or areas of non-compliance. Most users gravitate towards Lacework due to the capability to manage multi-cloud environments seamlessly, facilitating a more comprehensive approach to cloud account asset inventory management. However, every hero has its kryptonite, with Laceworks’ being the steep learning curve due to the complex user interface (UI). This can be a hindrance, especially for newcomers or less experienced users, potentially causing a delay in effectively implementing and managing security measures.
#3 OneTrust
OneTrust is considered a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) tool, primarily focusing on helping organizations prioritize and manage risks. Attractive benefits also include streamlining and centralizing the policy management lifecycle via pre-built templates and real-time reporting. Other standout features users appreciate include the tool’s capability to collaborate with auditors and map security questionnaires to controls and evidence. However, despite significant positive reviews, some drawbacks include a challenging user experience, with much room for further improvement regarding an intuitive UI. Additional feedback also noted some difficulty in linking policies to controls and mapping them to the readiness project.
#4 Secureframe
Secureframe is a good alternative to Vanta as they both focus on automating tasks to achieve framework certification or attestation. Users are drawn to Secureframe due to its seamless app integrations, connecting your tech stack. It is also often praised for its ability to give clear instructions on what is required to reach a state of compliance. Its ability to continuously monitor your compliance status and offer actionable insights into non-compliance areas is also a welcome plus.
However, with the good also comes the ‘less-than-ideal.’ Secureframe has an unintuitive UI, and the onboarding process can be complex. Although it does offer third-party risk management (TPRM) services, it’s not as robust as other competitors and shouldn’t be considered its strongest selling point. Lastly, despite giving clear compliance guidelines, assessments for complex systems like Google Cloud, Jira, and GitHub still require manual intervention to meet the required configuration.
#5 AuditBoard
AuditBoard stands out as a contemporary risk platform, known for its ability to create a centralized data hub, streamlining your organization’s risk management, IT security, and audit processes. It’s an ideal pick for teams valuing collaborative features. Users commend its excellent customer support and smooth implementation. However, it’s not without its downsides, like restricted reporting options and a higher price tag compared to alternatives, which could pose budgetary constraints.
Why Scytale is the Right Choice
Did someone say The ONLY COMPLETE compliance hub – yes, we did!
Regardless of your choice, security compliance shouldn’t come at the cost of your time, money, or freedom – we understand that. Unfortunately, most tools are inherently complicated to navigate, almost always leaving a gap for vulnerabilities or becoming redundant as your business (and threat landscape) grows.
At Scytale, we help companies to get (and stay) compliant by automating every possible part of the compliance process and providing additional support for the parts that cannot be automated, such as providing dedicated compliance experts.
