The role of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) in modern businesses has evolved beyond merely checking a box. Regulatory compliance now encompasses navigating digital transformation, addressing more sophisticated security challenges, and staying up-to-date with an alphabet soup’s worth of cybersecurity frameworks.
In this context, selecting the right GRC software is a critical strategic decision for organizations and security providers of any size.
The right tool can automate grunt work, reduce overall risks, and improve decision-making through real-time visibility into an organization’s security posture. If you’re a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), leveraging a GRC platform can significantly enhance your services, boost client stickiness, and free up internal resources to support more clients.
However, the GRC software market has multiple players, making it challenging to identify the tool that best fits your specific needs. To assist in this crucial decision, we have compiled a list of the top 10 GRC tools, complete with real customer feedback (the kind you can find on independent, third-party review sites — not on their websites.)
1. Apptega
Apptega goes beyond traditional GRC software with its focus on continuous compliance, enabling users to build audit-ready compliance programs that keep costs and risk down on a continuous basis.
MSSPs and thousands of organizations across all industries rely on Apptega to meet the challenges of cybersecurity and compliance for more than 30 frameworks, including SOC 2, NIST 800-171, CMMC 2.0, ISO 27001, CIS, PCI, GDPR, HIPAA, and more.
With questionnaire-based templates to quickly identify gaps as well as automatic suggestions and tracking for remediation, managing GRC programs through spreadsheets becomes a thing from the past.
Using Apptega, you can start building your own cybersecurity program in seconds. Just select the right framework and layer on risk management, vendor risk management, audit prep, and more.
Connect your entire cybersecurity ecosystem via direct integrations for faster evidence collection, task management, risk monitoring, and more. You can even manage several frameworks as one using intuitive framework crosswalking.
Apptega’s reporting capabilities give you an eye-of-Sauron view into your cybersecurity data and programs to keep key stakeholders on the loop. And if you’re an MSSP managing several clients, you can monitor and report on program progress in a multi-tenant view specifically designed for your needs.
G2 rating: 4.7/5
Top features: Streamlined assessment manager for 30+ compliance frameworks, framework crosswalking, risk manager, audit manager, integrations, multi-tenancy, and AI.
What customers love:
- User-friendly design, robust feature set.
- “The cross-mapping of multiple frameworks is my favorite feature.”
- “Apptega's customer support has been outstanding”
- “Apptega is a highly efficient and easy-to-use solution for managing governance, risk and compliance efforts. It allows us to seamlessly transition from assessment to security program management and beyond.“
What customers would improve: An even longer list of apps to integrate with. (Spoiler alert: We’re on it!)
Best for: Security, compliance, and information technology professionals looking to build continuous compliance programs at scale.
2. StandardFusion
StandardFusion is a streamlined, cloud-based GRC solution tailored to help organizations of all sizes effectively oversee operational risks, conduct audits, and manage vendors. This platform stands out for its user-friendly design and highly acclaimed customer support.
The platform offers comprehensive audit management, enabling standardized processes and direct access to evidence. It also allows for compliance management across multiple standards like ISO, SOC 2, NIST, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS. Additionally, StandardFusion provides efficient vendor and third-party assessment tools, helping companies make informed decisions about how vendors handle their data.
The software caters to various industries, including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, government, and retail.
G2 rating: 4.8/5 (based on only 18 reviews).
Top features: Compliance, risk, audit, vendor, policy, and privacy management modules.
What customers love: Simplistic interface. Powerful functionality.
What customers would improve: Broader integration capabilities and better reporting.
Best for: Companies prioritizing internal audits and information security.
3. Workiva
Workiva is a cloud-based platform that goes beyond GRC, covering financial reporting, ESG, audit, and risk management. Their goal is to unify and simplify these functions for modern organizations.
It's designed to facilitate collaboration, automate processes, and provide clarity in complex enterprise environments. The company serves a global customer base, boasting over 5,900 customers and 230,000 users in 170 countries, and they support a wide range of industries.
The platform is particularly praised for its ability to simplify financial reporting, manage risk effectively, and stay abreast of ESG regulations and standards.
G2 rating: 4.5/5
Top Features: SOX compliance, management reporting, audit management.
What customers love: Streamlined reporting processes.
What customers would improve: More flexibility in data handling.
Best for: Organizations dealing with complex regulatory and financial reporting.
4. RiskOptics ZenGRC
ZenGRC by RiskOptics is a cloud-based GRC platform designed to cater to the complex needs of large organizations. The tool is built to offer flexibility and customization, helping companies tailor GRC processes to their unique requirements while providing comprehensive visibility into organizational activities.
ZenGRC is accessible for teams with different levels of GRC expertise. It’s designed to integrate easily with existing software and adapt to the evolving needs of businesses, supporting their growth and maturity in risk and compliance management.
G2 rating: 4.4/5
Top features: Risk, compliance, audit, and vendor management.
What customers love: Customization options and comprehensive analytics.
What customers would improve: Even more extensive customization options. Dated UI.
Best for: Large organizations managing multiple compliance frameworks and requiring lots of customization.
5. SAI360
SAI360 is a scalable cloud platform that connects GRC, environmental, health, safety & sustainability (EHS&S), and learning.
It provides a comprehensive approach to managing compliance, operational risk, ethics, and compliance learning, as well as digital, vendor, and business continuity risks.
SAI360's solutions include configurable dashboards, automated workflows, real-time risk assessments, and engaging training content.
G2 rating: 4/5
Top features: Compliance education, IT risk management, EHS management.
What customers love: Quality support team. Easy workflow setup.
What customers would improve: Better reporting and user interface. It’s best suited for U.S.-based customers.
Best for: Businesses needing an integrated enterprise risk management view.
6. ServiceNow
As part of its cloud-based platform to manage digital workflows for enterprise operations, ServiceNow offers a GRC module to automate and streamline risk and compliance processes in organizations.
The company enables a proactive approach to GRC, integrating risk management activities into daily workflows and transforming inefficient processes into an integrated risk program. With ServiceNow's GRC solution, businesses can gain real-time visibility into risk posture and compliance status, enhance decision-making, and ensure consistent enforcement of policies and regulations across the organization.
G2 rating: 4.6/5
Top features: Policy & compliance management, risk management.
What customers love: Real-time compliance insights and automated workflows.
What customers would improve: Data visualization in reporting.
Best for: Organizations requiring a sophisticated, integrated approach to managing various types of risks and compliance requirements.
7. Fusion Framework System
The Fusion Framework System by Fusion Risk Management is a comprehensive GRC platform focused on bringing agility and proactivity to risk and resilience management.
The system offers a suite of capabilities that can be customized based on the needs of each organization, including mapping critical service processes, leveraging risk insights, planning and measuring risk management activities, and facilitating scenario rehearsals.
It aims to reduce risk, simplify operational complexity, and enhance visibility, with a focus on operational resilience, risk management, third-party risk management, IT security risk, and crisis and incident management.
G2 rating: 4.3/5
Top features: Integrated risk management, operational resilience, business continuity management.
What customers love: Great flexibility and customizations. Powerful reporting.
What customers would improve: Steep learning curve.
Best for: Businesses of various sizes that require a comprehensive approach to managing risk, ensuring business continuity, and planning for crisis scenarios.
8. MetricStream
MetricStream offers comprehensive GRC solutions to empower organizational growth through risk-aware decisions. Their platform, ConnectedGRC, integrates governance, risk management, and compliance across an extended enterprise.
MetricStream provides three main product lines: BusinessGRC, CyberGRC, and ESGRC, all supported by a single, scalable platform. They also recently released MetricStream AiSPIRE, the industry’s first AI-powered GRC tool.
The company caters to industries like banking, healthcare, energy, and technology.
G2 rating: 4/5
Top features: Policy & compliance management. IT threat management.
What customers love: Mobile app support. AI-powered recommendations.
What customers would improve: Occasional bugs.
Best for: Organizations with unique requirements for different user sets.
9. Enablon
Part of Wolters Kluwer, Enablon provides EHS&S software solutions for risk and compliance. Their offerings include environmental health and safety solutions to protect against workplace hazards, operational excellence solutions for productivity and safety improvements, and environmental social and governance (ESG) solutions for reporting and compliance.
Additionally, they offer governance risk and compliance (GRC) solutions to support business objectives and assure compliance. Enablon's platform is used globally by leading companies in industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, utilities, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
G2 rating: N/A (4/5 in Capterra)
Top features: Compliance, audit, and risk management.
What customers love: Data retrieval and reporting. Mobile capabilities.
What customers would improve: Easier initial setup.
Best for: Businesses of all sizes focusing on sustainability.
10. IBM Open Pages
IBM OpenPages is a GRC solution designed to help organizations manage risk and regulatory compliance across various domains.
OpenPages provides a scalable and integrated platform for companies to manage a wide range of risks, including operational, financial, and IT. The solution is known for its flexibility and can be customized to meet the specific needs of different industries, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes seeking to streamline their risk management processes.
G2 rating: 4/5
Top features: Risk, compliance, operational risk, financial controls, and policy management.
What customers love: Customizable. Great analytics.
What customers would improve: It can be pricey.
Best for: Medium and large companies in complex regulatory environments
Selecting the perfect GRC tool is a crucial decision that will redefine how your organization tackles risk and compliance, blending efficiency with cost-effectiveness.
While Apptega stands out with its powerful features and the ability to assist both in-house IT and security teams as well as MSSPs, the other nine tools in this list offer distinct advantages for different organizational needs. Make sure to choose the right tool for you, and the time and cost savings will follow.
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