What is a Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) automation platform?

Research published in Internet of Things and Cloud Computing defines traditional manual GRC processes as "often inefficient, error-prone, and ill-equipped to manage the dynamic nature of cloud environments, leading to compliance violations and heightened risks." GRC automation platforms address these challenges by integrating governance, risk management, and compliance functions into a unified system that reduces manual effort and improves visibility across an organization's regulatory obligations.

Go deeper: A deep dive into HIPAA's administrative safeguards

Understanding GRC automation platforms

GRC automation platforms consolidate three interconnected disciplines into a single framework.

• Governance establishes the policies, procedures, and decision-making structures that guide organizational behavior
• Risk management identifies, assesses, and mitigates threats to organizational objectives
• Compliance ensures adherence to external regulations, industry standards, and internal policies

Traditionally, organizations managed these functions separately using spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected software tools. The Pinninti study identifies several challenges with this approach:

• Manual compliance tracking through spreadsheets and emails
• Lack of real-time risk visibility
• Audit inefficiencies requiring weeks of preparation
• Difficulty aligning with frameworks like NIST and ISO 27001

As the research notes, "Traditional, siloed GRC approaches are often inadequate in addressing the dynamic nature of cloud computing, where misconfigurations, unauthorized access, and evolving threats are prevalent."

GRC automation platforms replace fragmented manual processes with centralized systems that continuously monitor controls, track regulatory changes, automate evidence collection, and generate audit-ready reports. The healthcare sector faces particular urgency given overlapping regulatory frameworks including HIPAA, state privacy laws, and contractual obligations from business associate agreements.

Learn more: How to perform a risk assessment

Main capabilities of GRC platforms

GRC automation platforms provide several integrated functions that work together to streamline compliance operations. The Pinninti study identifies key features found in modern platforms:

• Integrated risk management centralizes risk data, automates risk assessments, and provides real-time dashboards for decision-making. Rather than manually compiling risk information across departments, automated systems aggregate data and assign risk scores based on likelihood and impact.
• Policy and compliance management maps controls to regulations and frameworks, streamlining compliance reporting. When regulations change, the platform can flag affected policies and initiate review workflows. A single security control might satisfy requirements under HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOC 2 simultaneously, and the platform tracks these relationships.
• Continuous monitoring replaces point-in-time assessments with ongoing surveillance of control effectiveness. The research describes this as a requirement for "monitoring configurations and detecting anomalies in real time." Automated scans verify that configurations remain compliant and security tools operate as intended.
• Automated evidence collection gathers documentation needed for audits, including system logs, configuration snapshots, training records, and policy acknowledgments. This addresses what the study identifies as a major inefficiency in traditional approaches.
• Vendor risk management automates third-party risk assessments and monitors vendor compliance. The platform can distribute questionnaires, validate responses, and track vendor compliance status across the organization.

Read more: What you need to know about log monitoring

Benefits of GRC automation

The Pinninti study presents a case study of a mid-sized financial services organization that implemented GRC automation aligned with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The results demonstrate improvements across multiple metrics.

The organization achieved a 40% reduction in manual effort for compliance tasks and a 30% improvement in incident response times. Automated workflows decreased issue remediation time from 30 days to 5 days. Compliance costs dropped by 40%, and audit findings decreased by 70%.

These efficiency gains matter for healthcare organizations operating under multiple overlapping frameworks. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework organizes cybersecurity activities into five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. GRC platforms map organizational controls to these functions, providing structured coverage across the security lifecycle.

The research found that "real-time dashboards provided a holistic view of risks across cloud and on-premises environments." This visibility enables security teams to prioritize remediation efforts based on actual risk rather than working through compliance checklists sequentially.

Future developments in GRC automation are being shaped by innovations highlighted in Onspring’s healthcare whitepaper. The report emphasizes how AI‑driven analytics, blockchain‑based audit trails, and adaptive security protocols are transforming compliance operations.

AI enables predictive risk modeling to anticipate emerging threats, blockchain ensures immutable evidence for audits, and adaptive protocols allow organizations to dynamically adjust controls as regulations evolve. For healthcare providers navigating HIPAA, state privacy laws, and complex business associate agreements, such capabilities are a baseline. By embedding intelligence and resilience into GRC platforms, organizations can move from reactive compliance to proactive risk management, strengthening both patient trust and operational resilience.

FAQs

What is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework?

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a risk-based framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology that organizes cybersecurity activities into five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. It is customizable to organizational needs and aligns with other standards like ISO 27001, making it widely adopted for structuring security programs.

What is control mapping?

Control mapping links security controls to the specific regulatory requirements they satisfy. A single control, such as encryption or access management, may address requirements across multiple frameworks including HIPAA, NIST, and PCI DSS. GRC platforms maintain these relationships so organizations can demonstrate compliance across frameworks without duplicating documentation efforts.

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security management systems (ISMS) published by the International Organization for Standardization. It provides a systematic framework for managing sensitive information through risk assessment, security controls, and continuous improvement processes. Organizations can achieve formal certification by demonstrating compliance with the standard's requirements, which many business partners and regulators recognize as evidence of mature security practices.