Imagine that a platform for compliance costs you $12,000 per year. How much is that?
It all depends on the item you are replacing.
If automation eliminates hundreds of hours repetitive evidence collection in a complex technology-driven environment, $12,000 could be well-spent. The calculation would be different for a start-up of seven people could collect the same amount of evidence in just a few minutes each month.
It’s a great method to begin your search for the Vanta alternative. The question of which platform offers the best features is not the only thing to consider. Ask what those features will help your business save time and money.
The Break-Even Point for Automation
The automation of compliance isn’t always good or bad. The value of it changes as you grow. Imagine a rapidly growing tech company that has multiple cloud environments and numerous applications. The manual process of gathering evidence can be a major operational burden. Integrations that automate monitoring systems and gather evidence could easily justify their costs.
Now consider a 10-person startup preparing for its first SOC 2. Imagine a startup with 10 employees in preparation for its first SOC 2.
That difference matters when evaluating Vanta pricing. The capabilities of an advanced platform are impressive, however they only offer financial value in the event that an organization requires them.
Compare Architecture Not Just Brands
Vanta vs Drata is a debate that can easily become a feature-by feature exercise. It is crucial to examine the services, features contract and quotes offered by both platforms. Both are established compliance platforms that focus on automation and integrations.
Another decision needs to be made first, however. Do you need a software that can be integrated into your compliance system? Certain businesses want continuous monitoring and automated evidence collection. Some prefer to provide evidence themselves, particularly when the work load is not too heavy.
Vanta Competitors Do not All Use the same model
Many well-known Vanta competitors compete within a similar automation-focused category. It also offers smaller platforms based on management rather than comprehensive system connectivity.
CertAssist is part of the latter group. CertAssist is a product developed by internal auditors, compliance consultants and other professionals, organizes controls frameworks within a central workspace. It allows for the editing of policies and guidance for evidence and allows auditors to examine evidence with read-only access.
It doesn’t install agents or connect to infrastructure systems. Customers can upload their own proof.
System Access is a consideration in the Making
Removal of integrations comes with an obvious disadvantage: somebody must gather evidence manually.
The compliance software does not need integration or integration and may be used without any standing connections with the operating environment.
There is no universally superior architecture. The relevant question is which tradeoff makes sense for your business.
CertAssist targets teams between five to 200 members. The pricing of the service is announced rather than needing an appointment with sales representatives to find the initial cost. The initial price listed for CertAssist is $225 per monthly in comparison to a regular $375.
Let Complexity Take Its Place
The requirements for a start-up with 10 employees aren’t necessarily similar to the needs of companies with 100 or 500 employees.
A simple platform could make sense while compliance remains straightforward. The cost of automation could increase as systems, employees and frameworks expand. It’s better to let the complexity of compliance technology earn its rightful place.
Do not purchase fifty different integrations just because they look attractive in the comparison chart. You should purchase them only when they are necessary and the cost for doing the job they replace manually is higher.