Preparing for regulatory compliance isn’t just a question of ticking a couple of boxes, but proactively managing risks throughout your entire IT environment.
Compliance audit software can help you to identify risks in your environment and prepare to comply with regulations in your industry. In this article, we’re going to look at the 10 best compliance audit software.
Here is a list of the ten best compliance audit software:
- SolarWinds Security Event Manager (FREE TRIAL) – Our top pick for compliance software. Log management software that can monitor logs in real-time and alert on suspicious events with compliance reports.
- ManageEngine ADAudit Plus (FREE TRIAL) – An activity tracking and logging package that identifies unusual account activity while protecting files and AD domains. Runs on Windows Server. Start a 30-day free trial.
- ManageEngine Log360 (FREE TRIAL) – A log manager and SIEM service that includes compliance auditing and file integrity monitoring. Available for Windows Server. Start a 30-day free trial.
- Netwrix Auditor – Auditing tool that can run risk assessments, collect audit information from multiple systems, generate security alerts, and more.
- Workiva Wdesk – Cloud-based compliance and internal controls management platform you can use to manage risks, controls, and user access, with compliance reporting.
- AuditBoard – Compliance auditing software that can be used to manage controls, monitor policy status with automated reviews, and more.
- NavexGlobal PolicyTech – Policy and procedure management software for managing compliance policies with automated policy routing, version control, and more.
- Lepide Data Security Platform – Data security and compliance auditing software you can use to audit user changes to data, detect anomalous activity, generate pre-configured compliance reports, and more.
- ZenGRC – Cloud-based risk and compliance management solution with a real-time dashboard, workflow tagging, templates, integrations, and more.
- LogicGate Risk Cloud – GRC software with dashboards, reports, task workflows, a drag-and-drop editor, and more.
The Best Compliance Audit Software
The list includes tools including log management software for monitoring user access and security concerns, auditing tools for running risk assessments, and centralized compliance/policy management solutions for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. We highly recommend conducting independent research before making a purchase to ensure the best fit for your environment.
1. SolarWinds Security Event Manager (FREE TRIAL)
SolarWinds Security Event Manager is an event log management tool that you can use to collect and monitor logs in real-time throughout your environment. With SolarWinds Security Event Manager you can use log data to detect and respond to cyber-attacks within your network with automated threat detection and response.
Key features:
- Collect and store log data
- Automated threat detection and response
- Compliance reports
- Alerts
The platform can be used for intrusion detection, detecting suspicious events, and creating alerts to notify the user about the problem. The tool automatically deploys sensors for detecting intrusions and discovers network devices, which reduces the amount of manual administration the user needs to do.
To help with preparing for audits, SolarWinds Security Event Manager includes the option to create and schedule out-of-the-box compliance reports for HIPAA, PCI DSS, GLBA, NERC CIP, and SOX. You can also create customized reports with graphical summaries to enhance the documentation you create.
SolarWinds Security Event Manager is a tool that’s fully equipped to enable enterprises to monitor for security breaches and produce reports to prepare for auditing. Prices start at £2,038 ($2,525). It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can download the 30-day free trial
2. ManageEngine ADAudit Plus (FREE TRIAL)
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus protects files and Active Directory domain controllers from tampering by logging user activities. The system references data in AD to index each user and also generates log files, detailing access events. These services are important for data protection compliance.
Key Features:
- User profiling
- AD domain controller protection
- File integrity monitoring
- Compliance reporting for GDPR, GLBA, SOX, PCI DSS, and HIPAA
The ADAudit Plus system stores its activity logs for compliance auditing. The system also provides compliance reporting templates. The package is good for compliance with GDPR, GLBA, SOX, PCI DSS, and HIPAA data protection standards.
File access tracking provides file integrity monitoring by logging all changes to files and registering them to the user account involved. The system extends its change tracking to Active Directory.
When sorted per user, activity logging provides insider threat detection. By analyzing the regular behavior of each user account, automated log analysis functions can establish a standard pattern of activity. Sudden changes from that pattern trigger alerts. This technique also highlights account takeover incidents. Records of repeated failed login attempts provide indications of brute force credentials cracking.
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus runs on Windows Server and it is packaged in two editions: Standard and Professional. You can get access to the Standard edition with a 30-day free trial.
3. ManageEngine Log360 (FREE TRIAL)
ManageEngine Log360 is a SIEM package that includes a log manager to source data for threat hunting. The organization of log messages into files in a meaningful directory structure makes this a good tool for compliance auditing. This service is suitable for compliance with GDPR, GLBA, PCI DSS, FISMA, HIPAA, and SOX.
Key features:
- Log collection and consolidation
- Archiving and reviving of log files
- Compliance auditing
- A SIEM service
Log files are compiled from consolidated messages that are drawn from all the endpoints on the network and also AWS, Azure, and Salesforce cloud platforms. These include software package logs, Windows Events, and Syslog messages. These logs are written to different standards and so the log server converts them into a neutral format so that they can be searched and stored together.
The Log360 console includes a data viewer that includes tools for manual analysis. This shows log messages live as they arrive at the log server and it can also read in logs from files. The automated searches of the SIEM system adds on threat detection. This is an anomaly-based service that will raise an alert if the activity of a user or an endpoint deviates from a previously-established pattern of behavior.
ManageEngine Log360 is available in two editions: Free and Professional. The Free edition collects logs from a maximum of 25 devices. The paid version is called the Professional edition and you can get it on a 30-day free trial.
4. Netwrix Auditor
Netwrix Auditor is an auditing solution that allows you to collect auditing information from a range of services throughout your environment, including Active Directory, Office 365, Exchange, Sharepoint, Dell EMC, Oracle Database, SQL Server Windows Server, and more.
Key features:
- Collect audit data from a range of services including Active Directory, Office 365, and Oracle Database
- Run risk assessments
- Alerts
One of the most useful features included with Netwrix Auditor is the ability to run risk assessments. Risk assessments allow you to identify vulnerabilities and potential compliance gaps such as having too many permissions assigned. Each risk is assigned a risk level so you can prioritize remediating those high-risk vulnerabilities first.
Alerts keep you notified about security issues that could threaten your data. For example, the alerts system can detect if lots of modifications have been made to your files and send you a possible ransomware activity notification with more information so you can investigate further.
Netwrix Auditor is worth taking a look at if you want a tool to help identify risks that jeopardize your compliance status. Prices start at £1,526) ($1,890) per year with support for up to 150 Active Directory users, and 10 Windows Server servers. It is available for Windows. You can start the 20-day free trial from this link here.
5. Workiva Wdesk
Workiva Wdesk is a cloud-based compliance and internal controls management platform that allows you to manage risks and prepare for SOX compliance. The tool enables you to set access and permissions for users to determine what resources they have access to. When they interact with resources an automatic version history is created documenting the changes made.
Key features:
- Set access and permissions for users
- Version History
- Workflow and tasking
- Customizable reports
The software provides you with a solution where you can manage controls and risks throughout your environment. You can also use the program to generate reports. Reports allow you to track issues within your environment and can be customized according to your requirements. The reports created can be shared with other members of your team.
Workflow and tasking allow you to manage risks more efficiently. Users can assign approvals and requests to other employees, which makes it easier to monitor the progress of projects and increases transparency over who’s responsible for doing what.
Workiva Wdesk is a compliance audit software aimed at departments that need to manage internal controls in a streamlined and efficient manner. To view pricing information for the software you will need to contact the company directly for more information. You can request a demo from this link here.
6. AuditBoard
AuditBoard is a compliance audit software that can be used for managing SOC, ISO, NIST, PCI, FINRA, GDPR compliance, and more. AuditBoard enables the user to manage controls in one platform, making it easier to test for compliance gaps. The platform also enables you to perform self-assessments to prepare for compliance.
Key features:
- Manage compliance for SOC, ISO, NIST, PCI, FINRA, GDPR, and more
- Perform self-assessments
- Issue management
- Policy lifecycle management
When you identify weaknesses in your current controls you can use AuditBoard to manage the status of issues by recording a description of the issue, ranking risks, and selecting particular employees as remediation owners. Increased transparency makes it much easier for teams to remediate compliance gaps.
Similarly, policy lifecycle management allows you to create and review security policies within one platform. Automated reviews enable employees to check through policies more conveniently, reducing the amount of manual administration spent managing policies throughout your environment.
AuditBoard is recommended for enterprises that want to manage compliance controls with a single streamlined solution. To view information on pricing you need to contact the company directly for a quote. You can schedule a demo from this link here.
7. NavexGlobal PolicyTech
NavexGlobal PolicyTech is a policy and procedure management tool you can use to create and manage the policies you use to achieve regulatory compliance. With NavexGlobal PolicyTech employees can manage policies whether on desktop or mobile, with a Microsoft Office 365 integration.
Key features:
- Create and manage policies
- Policy version control
- Microsoft Office 365 integration
- Comprehension quizzes
- Report policy violations
Managing policies with NavexGLobal PolicyTech is more efficient than legacy systems as the software automatically routes new policies and policy updates to users so that they can review. You can even use comprehension quizzes to verify that they completely understand the content of the policy.
For auditing, NavexGlobal PolicyTech comes with version control that stores employee signatures alongside each version of documents, helping you to prepare for auditing. Employees can also report policy violations to EthicsPoint, which can automatically send a report to an incident management system.
NavexGlobal PolicyTech is a good place to start if you want to manage the security policies throughout your enterprise. To view pricing information for the software you need to request a quote from the company directly. You can start the 14-day free trial from this link here.
8. Lepide Data Security Platform
Lepide Data Security Platform is a data security and compliance auditing platform that you can use to comply with a range of regulations. With the Lepide Data Security Platform, you can audit changes made by users to your data and if necessary, rollback any changes made.
Key features:
- Audit changes to your data
- Rollback data changes
- Alerts and custom scripts
- Preconfigured reports for regulations
For increased security, the Lepide Data Security Platform uses machine learning to detect malicious activity and trigger alerts in response. You can also configure custom scripts to automatically respond to suspicious behavior by shutting down service.
The platform also has a range of pre-configured reports for a variety of regulations including SOX, FISMA, GDPR, GLBA, HIPAA, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and more. Reports provide you with greater visibility over user interactions with sensitive data, which lets you verify that all these interactions are legitimate.
Lepide Data Security Platform is a tool that’s ideal for enterprises that want to monitor user access to sensitive data and prepare to comply with regulations like SOX and HIPAA. To view pricing information you need to contact the company directly for a quote. You can request a demo from this link here.
9. ZenGRC
ZenGRC is a cloud-based risk and compliance management solution that can be used to continuously monitor compliance. With ZenGRC the user can use dashboards to monitor compliance so you can see where there are gaps. When issues are found you can monitor them and assign them to other users for remediation.
To speed up your response to compliance violations, ZenGRC supports workflow staging. You can create and prioritize tasks to determine which compliance violations your team should address first. Doing so ensures that the most problematic issues or vulnerabilities are addressed ASAP.
The platform supports a range of regulations offering templates for SOX, SOC, PCI, HIPAA, ISO, FedRAMP, and more. There are also vast amounts of integrations with common enterprise applications including AWS, Jira, Splunk, Slack, Tableau, Qualys, and more.
ZenGRC is a solid alternative audit tool for enterprises that want to manage risk and compliance challenges. To view pricing information for the software you need to contact the company directly. You can schedule a demo from this link here.
Key features:
- Real-time compliance dashboard
- Monitor and assign issues
- Workflow tagging
- Templates for SOX, SOC, PCI, HIPAA, ISO, FedRAMP, and more
10. LogicGate Risk Cloud
LogicGate Risk Cloud is a GRC tool that you can use to monitor your compliance status through a dashboard and customizable reports. The tool enables you to monitor compliance procedures and tasks to make sure that there are no gaps in your environment. Conditional workflows automatically manage the due dates and status of tasks.
Key features:
- Dashboard
- Custom reports
- Automated reminders
- Monitor tasks and compliance procedures
- Conditional workflows
The software also helps employees to stay on top of compliance tasks with automated reminders, Automated reminders alert task owners when they need to take action and sign off on documents or upload evidence. Reminders reduce the amount of time wasted waiting for smaller tasks to be completed.
You can also use the platform’s drag-and-drop editor to integrate compliance processes via email and spreadsheets. You can turn LogicGate Risk Cloud into a centralized repository where you can monitor your entire compliance process.
LogicGate Risk Cloud is a tool fit for enterprises in search of a GRC solution with task workflows. To view pricing information you need to request a quote from the company directly. You can schedule a demo from this link here.
Compliance Audit Software: Editor’s Choice
Managing compliance concerns to meet the burdens of regulatory frameworks is hard. It only takes a couple of risks to slip through the net to put your data at risk and leave you at the end of some hefty penalties. Compliance audit software can help you to streamline your compliance management and eliminate compliance gaps.
Throughout this article, we’ve looked at a range of tools you can use to manage your compliance obligations. Our editor’s choice for this article is SolarWinds Security Event Manager (for log management), or Netwrix Auditor, Workiva Wdesk, and AuditBoard for compliance risk management.
However, we recommend that you conduct independent research to verify a tool is right for your needs before making a purchase. Ultimately, the best fit for your environment is going to depend on your current operations and the types of tools you’re already using in your environment.
