We often mention the marvelous benefits of compliance automation. From getting compliant up to 90% faster to remaining compliant all year round with automated monitoring and alerts. That’s all fine and dandy, but what does it actually mean? What is automated compliance, really?
If you’re handing over the compliance baton to a platform, you’re going to want to be very sure of how it works and why it works. So, to keep you from deep diving into the pros and cons of security compliance automation in your free time, here’s everything you need to know about compliance automation and how it redefines compliance management one click at a time.
GET COMPLIANT 90% FASTER WITH AUTOMATION
What is compliance automation?
The crux of compliance automation is using technology to replace processes that previously required strenuous manual tasks. By using leading-edge technology and compliance automation platforms assure organizations that activities, processes and systems are all up to standard with the latest regulatory changes and requirements. In addition, as compliance isn’t a one-time task, automation helps organizations stay compliant by consistently monitoring any risks, changes, red flags or suspicious activity.
By implementing compliance automation, businesses can streamline their compliance journey and meet all their obligations in one central place, including workflows, risk assessments, control evaluations, testing, staff security awareness training and corrective actions.
Why you need compliance automation
Apart from the fact that it eliminates the exhausting process of playing compliance catch-up, here are a few other key benefits of compliance automation.
Implement industry-specific controls
You can leverage industry-best practices and apply them to your security posture through compliance automation. Automation tools apply to your company’s specific security framework and its relevant requirements. In addition, automation tools can help implement and monitor security controls recommended for your particular business, industry, team, security procedures and goals. This tailored approach ensures that your compliance works alongside your business objectives and protects you against the niche risks that target your organization.
Accelerate productivity
Spending hours compiling reports and keeping up to date with regulations and frameworks is an all too familiar concept when it comes to compliance. Compliance automation replaces the entire process with real-time monitoring and assesses internal controls simultaneously to help mitigate any risks of non-compliance. Although some processes will require a business to take a more hands-on approach, various tasks could still be automated, such as control processes, risk assessments, vendor risk management, user access reviews, evidence collection, and alerts, maximizing productivity and accuracy.
Scale your business
Not only does automated compliance reduce the time spent to stay compliant, but its diligence and accuracy also significantly reduces the possible financial and reputational impact that non-compliance may have on your business. In addition, automation helps organizations tick all their compliance boxes efficiently and ensures that the requirements are effectively implemented throughout all systems with no human error.
Ultimately, this helps organizations build a strong security posture. In addition, an effective compliance tool will also store all necessary documents and records to prove due diligence. This means you can rest assured that your business will always be audit ready.
Maintaining a strong security posture and a thorough approach to security and compliance will always attract customers and partners, helping you win over major prospects. They can rest assured that their data is in safe hands and that your security and compliance standards align with theirs.
Create a security-conscious culture
From ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR to HIPAA and PCI DSS, your employees remain your first line of defense, regardless of the security or privacy compliance framework you’re dealing with. Though compliance officers may know the dos and don’ts of security awareness, negligent employees remain the leading cause of non-compliance.
Educating employees on data security best practices is, therefore, a crucial step in preventing organizational data loss. Additionally, a robust compliance program should incorporate automated workflows and promote a security-conscious culture. With easy-to-understand analytics, dashboards, task tracking, alerts, and workflow processes, employees can better understand their role in compliance and know exactly what to do in the event of a data breach.
Many compliance tools also include security awareness training programs to ensure that all individuals are up to date and in the loop with your company’s security policies, procedures and processes.
Keys to an effective compliance program
If you’re looking to automate your compliance management, be sure that your chosen tool includes the following core pillars.
Policies and procedures
Make sure your policies and procedures are auditor-approved and aligned with all regulatory requirements using a custom policy generator and industry-specific templates.
Education and training
Automated compliance tools should cover all requirements, including ongoing staff security awareness training. Find an automated tool that helps you maintain personnel-compliance training readiness.
Monitoring and auditing
An effective automation tool must provide evidence collection and 24/7 control monitoring to ensure you’re always 100% audit-ready.
Risk management
Consistently manage your potential risk through automated compliance management that can identify any security gaps. Keep in mind that this should include third party risk management.
Integration with other tools
For truly effective compliance automation, ensure the seamless integration of automation tools with your business’s existing systems and workflows. This integration embeds compliance into the daily operations of your organization, enhancing both efficiency and adherence.
The impact of compliance automation on audit processes
Let’s talk about audits – every company’s favorite compliance activity (not really). The truth is, audit processes can be a nightmare without the right systems in place. That’s where compliance audit software steps in to completely change the game.
With automated compliance management, preparing for an audit is no longer a last-minute scramble. Instead of digging through endless spreadsheets, emails, and documents, all compliance-related data is automatically collected, organized, and stored in a central platform. This makes it incredibly easy to pull reports, track changes, and ensure all controls are in place before auditors come knocking.
Automated compliance monitoring also plays a crucial role in keeping your business audit-ready at all times. Real-time tracking and alerts mean you’ll catch potential issues long before they become red flags in an audit. No more stressing over how to explain discrepancies – everything is documented, up-to-date, and ready to go.
Ultimately, compliance automation software removes the stress from audits by ensuring continuous compliance. Instead of treating audits like a once-a-year panic attack, businesses can adopt a proactive approach, making the entire process smoother, faster, and far less stressful. And let’s be real – anything that makes audits less painful is a win!
Automate compliance with Scytale
Often, automation becomes synonymous with impersonal. However, at Scytale, we combine the power of people and technology in an all-in-one compliance hub. In addition to providing a fully automated compliance tool with powerful automation features, our dedicated team of GRC experts offer personalized guidance to streamline compliance, enabling faster growth and boosting customer trust. Take a look at what our customers are saying!
FAQs
How does compliance automation improve efficiency?
Compliance automation streamlines manual tasks like risk assessments, control evaluations, and evidence collection. Real-time monitoring and alerts help businesses stay ahead of compliance issues, reducing time spent on audits and ensuring seamless adherence to security compliance and regulatory standards.
Can compliance automation help with different security frameworks?
Yes! Automated compliance tools support multiple security and data privacy frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA, while also facilitating multi-framework cross-mapping. They apply industry-specific controls and continuously monitor compliance requirements, ensuring your business stays aligned with evolving regulations.
How does compliance automation make audits easier?
With automated compliance management, all relevant compliance documentation is collected, organized, and stored in one platform. This makes the audit preparation process faster and less stressful by ensuring reports, documentation, and control tracking are always up to date and audit-ready.
