Compliance regulations are continuously evolving and becoming more stringent. As a result, businesses are struggling to keep up with the changing standards. So, this is where compliance management software comes into play. It ensures organizations adapt and thrive amidst evolving and stringent compliance requirements. In this article, we'll explore the top 10 compliance software that effectively addresses diverse compliance needs.
In the summer of 2023, Meta, the parent company of popular platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp, faced a hefty $1.3 billion fine for breaching the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While their financial standing allowed them to weather this storm, but such non-compliance repercussions can be particularly a huge blow for smaller companies.
So, to avoid such financial pitfalls, staying well-informed and adhering to compliance regulations is crucial. This is where compliance management tools come to the rescue. This article has compiled a curated list of leading compliance software options for organizations. However, choosing the right fit requires a thorough evaluation. Before we guide you on what to look for in these tools, let's start by understanding what exactly compliance management software is.
Compliance management software is basically an application that uses technology to assist organizations, regardless of their size, in effectively adhering to regulatory obligations and ensuring strict adherence to the rules and regulations governing their respective industries. This software aims to automate compliance-related tasks, keep organizations informed about regulatory changes, and ensure they stay current with industry best practices.
Furthermore, the regulatory checks conducted by compliance software encompass optimizing processes such as monitoring employee certifications and training records to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and safety standards. Additionally, the software aids organizations in handling audits, inspections, and reporting obligations while also offering tools for assessing and mitigating risks.
Now, let's explore the benefits of implementing compliance tools.
Compliance management holds significant importance for organizations across diverse sizes and industries, playing a pivotal role in establishing and upholding legal policies and regulations. Implementing an effective compliance management system enables organizations to mitigate legal and financial risks, cultivate trust among stakeholders, boost operational efficiency, enhance employee morale, and safeguard the environment and public health.
Listed below are some of the notable benefits of having compliance management software in your organization:
With the help of effective compliance software, organizations can ensure that stringent compliance regulatory requirements are followed. This further helps in avoiding costly fines and legal liabilities associated with non-compliance.
Manual tracking and reporting of compliance regulations are prone to unintentional errors. Compliance software solutions offer tracking tools that automate these processes, saving time and money while reducing the risk of oversight. This automation allows organizations to allocate resources to strategic initiatives that foster growth and profitability.
Compliance management serves as a foundation for establishing trust and credibility with customers, investors, and other stakeholders. Demonstrating a commitment to ethical and compliant business practices helps organizations build a robust reputation and gain the trust of their stakeholders.
Automating compliance tasks and streamlining processes can free up your GRC team time and reduce their workload. This will further help them concentrate on strategic initiatives that drive growth and profitability.
Implementing a new CMS may pose challenges in engaging employees initially, but it ultimately fosters a culture of compliance and ethics. This creates a positive work environment where employees feel valued and supported.
Manual development and documentation of regulatory policies are time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies. Compliance policies in physical form can be hard to carry and may not be readily available for reference. A compliance management system automatically updates documents to the latest version, addressing these challenges.
Choosing the right CMS approach ensures organizations stay in the regulatory loop without inconvenience. Real-time monitoring and reporting on compliance issues enable swift identification and resolution of potential problems. Regular risk assessments and monitoring compliance metrics facilitate prompt adherence to government laws applicable to the specific industry.
Now that you are familiar with compliance management software and its benefits, let's proceed further and understand what features to look for in compliance software.
While assessing compliance software, you need to evaluate several key capabilities before investing in it. These functionalities include:
Look for software that offers customization to customize it according to your organization's unique compliance needs. Every business is different, so having a compliance management system that is easy to use and easily customizable enhances user experience, making it the preferred choice.
Staying informed is pivotal to avoiding fines and legal consequences. Opt for software capable of monitoring regulatory changes and issuing alerts for new regulations or updates to existing ones. The intricate tracking and reporting in the compliance tracking software tool ensures you stay compliant without missing any important changes.
Effective task assignment and workflow tracking are crucial for compliance. Look for software equipped to manage compliance tasks and processes systematically and efficiently. This feature will help your IT teams prioritize tasks, assign responsibilities, set deadlines, and monitor progress.
Invest in software capable of overseeing compliance-related documents within a centralized hub, including policies, procedures, training materials, and audit reports. This ensures easy accessibility when needed, and cloud storage provides the added benefit of swift updates as required.
Real-time tracking is fundamental in compliance regulation. The software should generate reports and analytics on compliance metrics, such as training completion rates and adherence to regulatory requirements. Additionally, it should send user-defined notifications for timely awareness.
Compliance management software should seamlessly integrate with other systems like HR and finance. Smooth integration is essential for monitoring incorporated compliance-related tasks and processes within broader business workflows. The software's pricing should align with the business budget, and prioritizing one with excellent customer support ensures it remains the preferred choice for users.
After going through the key factors, you might be able to choose a suitable CMS for your organization that meets your compliance needs. So, now, let's move further and explore different compliance management software.
Meeting compliance is one of the prime concerns of many organizations, and it should be, as the related financial and reputational repercussions are quite impactful.
Given below, compliance software is designed in such a way that it helps your organization adhere to stringent compliance regulations and stay up to date in this evolving landscape.
However, some organizations look for a blend of security and compliance features. If your organization is one of those, then Zluri can be the most suitable choice.
Zluri offers access review solution that enables your IT team to evaluate the access rights. Through this assessment they can ensure that only the right users hold right access to apps and data, and nothing more than that. This approach allows IT teams to safeguard organization’s critical app and data from malicious attackers and create a secure environment for both apps and users.
Further to add an additional layer of security, Zluri’s access review enables your IT team to implement certain security access policies to ensure data integrity. Moreover, implementing these security policies is also a mandatory requirement of most compliances. Further, it conducts periodic access review audits to ensure compliance with HIPAA, CRBF, Solvency, CMMC, SOC 1 and 2, SOX, ISAE 3402, ISO 27002, and ISO 27001. Plus, it documents the entire audit process to demonstrate its adherence to compliance requirements.
But if you are particularly looking for compliance software, then these are some of the top recommendations:
SiteDocs Safety Management software is designed to simplify company operations through digital forms, ensures compliance with real-time monitoring, and employs advanced analytics to reduce injuries. The software aims to simplify safety compliance for all users, saving time and money. Furthermore, SiteDocs stands out for its user-friendly safety software, featuring top-notch analytics and In-App chat. These features simplify the process of managing the entire safety program through mobile apps and web platforms.
Apart from that, the software includes various tools like a custom form builder, PDF document library, worker certification management, and offline mode, making it easier to handle safety programs while maintaining high safety compliance standards.
AuditBoard is a cloud-based audit and compliance software designed to help businesses manage their internal audit processes by automating different manual processes/tasks associated with audits.
Furthermore, it serves as a centralized hub for conducting risk assessments, creating work documentation for audits, and internal audit reports. Internal auditors can effortlessly record SOX control walkthroughs and testing, monitor the resolution of issues, and produce compliance reports for management.
Moreover, the software makes it easy to gather feedback from audit clients, certify control performance, oversee global SOX control owner testing, and conduct quarterly disclosure surveys. Additionally, with the help of AuditBoard, the IT department can monitor compliance like ISO and PCI, ensuring adherence to compliance regulatory standards.
SafeGuard Cyber security compliance software helps protect your organization against potential regulatory fines with cutting-edge automated archiving and policy detection solutions. This advanced solution significantly reduces oversight costs, mitigates risk exposure across your enterprise, and safeguards against social engineering attacks, insider threats, ransomware, and policy violations across prominent channels such as M365, Slack, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Zoom, WhatsApp, and more.
The main aim of SafeGuard Cyber is to secure human connections so that enterprises have the confidence to trust conversations are secure, free from fraud, theft, or loss, and fully compliant with all corporate and regulatory policies.
PowerStandards by PowerDMS is a cutting-edge accreditation software that simplifies the process of policy and compliance documentation management.
Furthermore, by utilizing PowerDMS, organizations can reduce their accreditation preparation time by 50% or more and also come preloaded with standards manuals from over 40 accrediting bodies. Users can map their policies, procedures, and proofs of compliance to their specific accrediting body's standards manual, resulting in significant time savings compared to traditional paper-based methods.
Libryo’s regulatory compliance software stands as a transformative solution dedicated to filtering and tracking the law at specific locations. This ensures that global teams, comprising compliance, risk, or legal professionals, EHS managers, general counsel, and sustainability managers, remain consistently informed about their applicable legal requirements.
Furthermore, Libryo serves as an invaluable tool, providing a comprehensive understanding of relevant laws and guiding users on the necessary actions (what to do next). This way, organizations can make decisions swiftly, allowing them to redirect their focus toward other crucial business priorities.
OT9 QMS is a user-friendly quality management software that is designed to simplify and manage complex compliance standards like FDA & ISO compliance. With this platform, you can log in online anytime, anywhere on your phone, PC, tablet, or Mac to obtain a review-time view of all your quality (standards) and compliance. Furthermore, this cloud-based eQMS platform includes everything you require to collaborate with customers, suppliers, and employees.
Also, it allows your team to access all the documents related to quality and compliance in one place. This way, they can effectively manage the documents. Additionally, OT9 QMS automates your CAPA processes and monitors corrective actions in real time.
Apart from that, it enhances inspection processes by capturing details online and linking related documents for easy reference. The feature facilitates improved inspections with a digitized approach, making information readily accessible.
Skillcast is a well-recognized compliance management platform that provides compliance awareness and inspires employees to act with integrity. Companies can actively engage with their employees with Skillcast's powerful combination of e-learning modules, cutting-edge RegTech tools, and a robust compliance management system. Furthermore, this platform promotes a culture of compliance and pushes organizations toward a workplace culture that prioritizes integrity and ethical conduct.
Netwrix is a compliance audit solution that minimizes the time required for audit preparation and enables your team to answer auditors' ad-hoc questions on the spot during compliance audits. Furthermore, it provides various advanced features that enable your security team to maintain strong governance, quickly spot and shut down threats, meet incident reporting deadlines, and manage DSARs efficiently to prevent non-compliance penalties. Apart from that, with the Netwrix compliance audit solution, your team can also prepare the evidence auditors require.
SAI360 is a compliance software that offers integrated GRC solutions. This solution provides a unified view of enterprise risk management, which helps prevent incidents before they even take place. Furthermore, SAI Regulatory Change Management combines augmented regulatory content with an easy-to-use workflow, enabling your compliance team to manage change effectively and confidently. Also, it offers SAI360 Policy Management, which helps achieve efficiency with customizable workflows, version management, and automated alerts.
HIPAA One is a cloud-based compliance software that provides healthcare companies with the tools to maintain compliance across operational processes. This software allows your GRC team to effectively conduct HIPAA Security Risk Assessments promptly and seamlessly.
Furthermore, HIPAA compliance software adheres to NIST methodologies to make sure clients fulfill mandated HIPAA security, privacy, and breach requirements. Also, the software provides guidance through each phase of the compliance journey, from initial assessment to the development of a remediation plan and ongoing tracking of implementation progress.
Here’s a comparison table of the compliance tools
After going through the list of compliance software, you might be confused about choosing the right compliance management software for your organization. To help you make the right choice, here's a quick explanation.
Selecting the right compliance software solution for your company is a critical decision that requires careful consideration. The process involves assessing your company's unique requirements, aligning them with strategic goals, and ensuring compatibility with Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance strategies. Beyond functionalities, factors such as compliance software vendors' industry experience, ease of use, technology updates, customer support, security measures, scalability, and affordability play pivotal roles in making an informed choice.
This decision impacts your current operations and sets the foundation for future growth and regulatory adherence. By navigating through these factors thoughtfully, organizations can secure a compliance management solution that meets their immediate needs and evolves with the dynamic landscape of regulatory requirements and business expansion.
While having the right compliance software is crucial, it alone may not fully mitigate compliance risks. To enhance your compliance workflow, it's essential to incorporate specific strategies. So, let's quickly explore some expert-recommended tips and tricks to optimize your compliance processes.
Creating an effective compliance workflow is crucial for organizations aiming to mitigate the risks associated with non-compliance, penalties, and legal liabilities. It's crucial to understand that compliance is an ongoing process, requiring continuous evaluation and enhancement of the program to align with changing needs and regulatory demands. The following tips contribute to a effective management of compliance workflow:
In conclusion, effective IT compliance software tools serve as an ultimate solution for organizations dealing with the complex landscape of regulatory requirements. By providing streamlined processes, real-time monitoring, and robust documentation, these solutions empower businesses to meet compliance standards and proactively mitigate risks associated with non-compliance.
By making the right choice, organizations can seamlessly foster a culture of integrity, accountability, and adaptability in the ever-evolving realm of compliance.
Compliance management is categorized into two types, which are corporate and regulatory. Corporate compliance involves rules and practices set by an organization to comply with both internal policies and external regulations. On the other hand, regulatory compliance focuses solely on adhering to external regulations.
Compliance risks refer to an organization's potential risks, including legal penalties, financial loss, and material consequences due to its failure to adhere to industry laws, regulations, internal policies, or recommended best practices. These risks are also referred to as integrity risks.
A compliance management system should include a centralized overview of ongoing compliance activities, real-time monitoring features, an auditing system, and reporting or analytics functionalities.
Tackle all the problems caused by decentralized, ad hoc SaaS adoption and usage on just one platform.