What Should a 10-Person Startup Really Pay for Compliance Software?

Let’s say a compliance platform costs $12,000 a year. How much is it?

The replacement it makes will determine the answer.

If you invest $12,000 to eliminate hundreds of hours of repetitive evidence gathering in an extremely complex technology environment that could be that is well-invested. The math would be different if a startup of seven individuals could gather similar evidence in only a few minutes each month.

This is a great way to search for Vanta alternatives. Don’t begin by asking what platform comes with the greatest features. Find out how your company’s features can help you save time and money.

The Break-Even Point of Automation

Compliance automation isn’t inherently good or bad. The benefits of compliance automation is dependent on the size of the business. Imagine a company in the field of technology that is growing, and has numerous cloud environments, numerous applications, and regular changes in access. It is possible to manually collect evidence, which could become a major administrative burden. Integrations that monitor systems automatically and gather evidence can easily justify their expense.

Consider a startup with 10 employees preparing for their first SOC 2. The infrastructure could be compact, and evidence collection may be manageable without extensive automation.

It is important to know the difference when you are evaluating Vanta pricing. The capabilities of a sophisticated platform are amazing, however they can only be of value for organizations that require them.

Compare Architecture, Not Just Brands

A search for Vanta vs Drata can quickly become a feature-by-feature exercise. Both are trusted systems for compliance built around automation and integrations. Hence, comparing their supported frameworks as well as integrations, service agreements, and individual quotes can be useful for organizations searching for that method.

You’ll need to make a decision on another thing first. Do you want to use an integration-driven compliance system or not? Certain companies would like continuous monitoring and automated evidence collection. Some companies prefer to collect evidence themselves.

Vanta Competitors Do Not All Use the Same Model

Many famous Vanta competitors compete in the same category of automation. There are other platforms that concentrate on organization over an extensive network of connectivity.

CertAssist fits into this category. CertAssist is a product developed by internal auditors, compliance consultants as well as other experts, organizes controls frameworks in a central workspace. It lets you edit policies and guidance for the auditing process, and allows auditors to review evidence via read-only access.

It does not, in fact, connect to operational systems or install infrastructure agents. Customers select and upload the proof they wish to share.

System Access is a consideration in the Decision

Removal of integrations has its downsides. Someone has to manually gather evidence.

The application for compliance does not require integration and can be used without having to establish permanent connections to the operational environment.

The designs of either are not superior to each other. The important question is which tradeoff makes sense for your company.

CertAssist is targeted at companies that comprise between five and 200 people and provides pricing information rather than having to have the sales pitch. The initial price listed for CertAssist is $225 per monthly rather than the usual $375.

Let Complexity Earn Its 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, a lightweight platform may be a good idea. As employees, systems, frameworks, and requirements for evidence expand, the economics may eventually favor greater automation. It’s a more efficient way to purchase compliance technology to let complexity earn its rightful place.

Do not pay for 50 integrations merely because they appear attractive in a chart of comparison. It is best to pay for them only when the cost of doing the task they replace manually is higher.

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