Let’s say the cost of a compliance program costs $12,000 annually. Does it cost a lot?
The answer is dependent on what it replaces.
If automating the collection of evidence across a complex technology environment can eliminate hundreds of hours of tedious work, then $12,000 could be a well-spent amount of money. The math would be different for a start-up of seven individuals could gather similar evidence in only a few minutes each month.
It’s a smart approach to start your search for the best Vanta alternative. The question of which platform offers the most features isn’t the first step. Ask your company how these tools can help you save time and money.
The Break-Even point for automation
Automating compliance isn’t inherently good or bad. The benefit of compliance automation will change as the company expands. Imagine a technology firm that is growing, with multiple cloud environments, many applications and frequent changes in access. The strain of manually gathering evidence on a regular basis could be very excessive. Integrations that automatically monitor systems and collect evidence easily justify the cost.
Now consider a 10-person startup preparing for its first SOC 2. It could have a small infrastructure, and the gathering of evidence can be handled without a lot of automation.
This difference is important when looking at Vanta’s pricing. A well-designed platform may offer large capabilities, but those capabilities deliver financial value only when the company actually needs they.
Compare Architecture and Not Just Brands
A search for Vanta vs Drata can quickly become a feature-by-feature exercise. Both platforms are built on automation and integrated and therefore, companies seeking this kind of solution can benefit by having a look at the frameworks available, their integrations and service and individual quotations and contracts.
You’ll need to decide on something else first. Do you have a company that is interested in an integration-driven platform for compliance? Certain companies require continuous monitoring and automated collection of evidence. Other businesses would prefer to create their own evidence, especially when the workload is low.
Vanta Competitors Do Not All Utilize the same model
Many well-known Vanta competitors compete within a similar automation-focused category. There are also platforms that are less heavy focused on organization with the vast system connectivity.
CertAssist falls into the latter category. Created by compliance experts and internal auditors, CertAssist organizes framework controls in a central work area, provides editable policy as well as evidence-based guidance. It also permits auditors to look over evidence via the use of read-only access.
It intentionally doesn’t connect to operational systems, nor does it install infrastructure agents. Customers select and upload their evidence that they want to submit.
Access to the Factor System into the Decision
Removal of integrations comes with an obvious drawback: you have to gather evidence by hand.
This removes the requirement to integrate, and the process of compliance is not dependent upon any connection to the operational environment.
Both architectures are equally good. The important question is which choice is best for your company.
CertAssist will target teams of between five and 200 participants. Its pricing is publicized rather than having to make the salesperson to obtain the initial figure. The starting price is $225 per month which is a significant reduction from the standard cost of $375 per month.
Let Complexity Earn Its Place
The requirements of a 10 person business today will not necessarily be its requirements at 100 or 500 employees.
Compliance can be managed with an easy platform. As the amount of employees, systems, frameworks and evidence demands increase, the economics could eventually favor more automation. It’s better to let the complexity of compliance technology earn its rightful place.
Don’t buy fifty different integrations simply because they appear impressive on the comparison chart. It is best to pay for them only when the cost of doing the job they replace manually is greater.
