Imagine a compliance system costs $12,000 a year. Does that sound pricey?
The answer depends on what it replaces.
Automating the collection of evidence across a complex technology system eliminates hundreds of hours of repetitive work, it could be an investment worth it. If a seven-person startup could gather the same data manually in a few hours every month, the cost will be very different.
This is a good way to approach the search for the best Vanta alternative. Do not begin by asking what platform comes with the most features. Consider how much time and effort these tools can help save your company.
The Break-Even Point of Automation
The automation of compliance isn’t always good or bad. The value of compliance automation changes as the company grows. Imagine a technology company that is growing that has hundreds of employees numerous cloud environments, multiple applications, and frequently access changes. The effort of manually capturing evidence over time could become extremely excessive. Integrations that monitor systems automatically and take evidence are able to justify the expense.
Imagine a startup of 10 people who are preparing to go through its first SOC 2 audit. Imagine a startup with 10 employees working on its first SOC 2.
Vanta pricing is based upon this difference. A modern platform may provide vast capabilities, but these capabilities will only be of value when an organization actually requires they.
Compare Architecture, Not Just Brands
Vanta vs Drata is a debate which can be easily a feature-by-feature exercise. It is crucial to examine the features, services and contracts offered by each platform. Both are reputable systems for compliance that are focused on integrations and automation.
There’s another decision to make prior to that. Does your business have an interest in an integration-driven system for compliance? Certain businesses would prefer continuous monitoring, automated evidence collection, and automated evidence collection. Some companies prefer to collect evidence on their own.
Vanta Competitors Do not All Use the same model
Many well-known Vanta competitors compete within a similar automation-focused category. There are also platforms that have a more minimalist design that are more focused on the organization of systems rather than connectivity.
CertAssist is a member of the second category. It was developed by compliance consultants and internal auditors, CertAssist organizes framework controls in a central workspace, allows for the editing of policies and evidence guidelines, and allows auditors to examine evidence submitted with access to only read-only.
It intentionally doesn’t connect to operational systems or install infrastructure agents. Customers are able to upload the evidence they choose.
Factor System Access into the Decision
The detachment of integrations does not come without its disadvantages: someone must manually gather evidence.
It also removes the need for integration setup and ensures that the compliance software doesn’t require standing connection to the organisation’s operational environment.
Both of these architectures are equally great. It is crucial to determine which choices are best for your particular business.
CertAssist is targeted towards teams that comprise between five and 200 people and provides pricing information instead of having a sales conversation. The stated launch price for CertAssist is $225 monthly, as opposed to the standard $375.
Let Complexity Take Its Rightful Place
What a 10-person start-up needs today might not be the same when you have 100 or even 500 employees.
While compliance is straightforward an easy platform can make sense. As the number of employees, systems frameworks, evidence and requirements increases, economics may eventually favour deeper automation. Better to let the complexity of compliance technology earn its rightful place.
Don’t spend money on fifty integrations simply because they look attractive in a chart of comparison. They’re worth the cost as the work they automate is more expensive than manually performing them.