Efficiency: An unlikely hidden benefit of GRC?

We tend to think of GRC (governance, risk and compliance news) software as something with the sole purpose of making compliance with regulations and best practices easier--though some big-think types invariably raise the issue of strategic benefits from all that GRC-created data. But a recent commentary in Information Management notes another possible hidden benefit: Efficiency.

In many cases, the IT function has already driven efficiency and automation across the enterprise, including in core compliance activities. "Tracking accountability and segregation of duties, reporting on the results and preparing for audits" traditionally required a great deal of manual work. "Today, however, a GRC approach that includes automation is changing this situation. The approach's ease of use and low cost of entry are making it possible for IT to start automating repetitive tasks (such as transports, user security provisioning and batch management)."

And that's where the efficiency comes in: It is "helping IT to do more with less, thereby making more time available for higher-value contributions to the enterprise." People in the trenches might buy the view that all the compliance and risk work they've done has freed them up. They likely feel like they're being loaded up with tasks in a time of tight hiring budgets. For them, efficiency means getting more work out of them in less time. The view may be different a bit higher up. 

For more:
- here's the article

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