Compliance professionals often struggle to secure funding for governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software tools. Many organizations prioritize technical tools or those that directly impact the business, leaving GRC efforts undervalued. This creates a difficult situation for compliance professionals who already face pressure from existing government regulations and the anticipation of new ones. Access to the right GRC tools is crucial, but the dynamics surrounding IT investments can make acquiring them challenging.
One possible solution to this problem is the use of free and open source GRC tools to automate certain GRC activities. Open source tools have clear advantages from a procurement standpoint. While there are still implementation costs involved, the initial budget impact is minimal and often requires little to no upfront investment. This means compliance and risk management professionals can utilize GRC tools without their organization having to purchase expensive software or wait for the IT budget cycle.
There are several open source options available that can assist in different areas of GRC, such as audit management, control validation, and securing cloud environments. These tools can be beneficial for organizations looking to implement a comprehensive GRC framework.
In terms of audit management, commercial audit management software (AMS) can be costly. However, open source project management and bug-tracking tools can serve as alternatives. Redmine and Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) are two open source GRC tools that provide issue tracking, documentation, and workflow platforms. While they may not offer all the features of a commercial AMS tool, they can fulfill many of the same functions at a much lower cost. These tools allow compliance professionals to manage audit workflows, track management responses, and record workpapers in a centralized location.
For control validation, vulnerability or asset management tools can be repurposed to provide data on the operation of technical controls. OpenVAS, a vulnerability scanning tool, and GLPI, an asset management and inventorying tool, are two open source options worth considering. OpenVAS can validate system configuration processes and ensure that systems are configured securely. GLPI, on the other hand, can provide configuration-related details for auditing purposes.
When it comes to securing cloud environments, the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) provides open informational tools and resources. The Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) offers a list of cloud security controls mapped to various security standards, regulations, and frameworks. It can be used to assess cloud service providers and align organizational compliance efforts with regulatory requirements. The Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ), now part of the CCM, is a standardized information-gathering questionnaire that helps organizations gather information about cloud vendors’ security controls.
These six open source tools are just a few examples of the many options available to streamline GRC programs and manage IT, security, and other business risks. While they may require some customization and creativity to adapt to an organization’s specific needs, they can provide significant value to GRC efforts at a fraction of the cost of commercial software. Compliance professionals should consider exploring open source GRC tools to overcome budget limitations and ensure they have access to the necessary tools for effective governance, risk management, and compliance.