How to Maximize Efficiency Across Multiple Compliance Assessments

Adhering to a single security framework alone is likely no longer sufficient for providing the protection and assurance needed for today’s complex and evolving security and compliance landscape. Whether prospects and customers are demanding different assurances, you’ve adopted new technologies that warrant particular controls, or you’re trying to break into a new market that features its own specific compliance as a prerequisite, it's common for your organization to be on the hook for multiple assessments.  

This can be an overwhelming prospect as more audits require more time and effort, involving managing budgets and juggling assessors, as well as more disruptions to daily operations amongst other unforeseen challenges. To mitigate these issues that often unavoidably manifest, organizations should prioritize streamlining their multiple assessments as efficiently as possible while still meeting their compliance goals.  

As a leading cybersecurity assessment firm, we offer a broad suite of services to clients who often engage us for multiple compliance needs simultaneously, and we prioritize optimizing those assessment experiences. In this article, we’ll share some of our accumulated expert insight by providing three strategies to help you streamline and maximize efficiency of your multiple compliance assessments.  

3 Strategies to Streamline Your Multiple Compliance Assessments 

The following tactics were compiled from multiple managers at Schellman who have had unique experiences performing different audits for various organizations. 

1. Understand and Leverage Assessment Diversity

It may sound like a given, but understanding the nuances of different assessment types is paramount to efficiently managing multiple assessments simultaneously. Don’t just leave it to your auditor to manage—by recognizing the distinct requirements and methodologies of each assessment, you too can tailor your strategies to optimize time, resources, and outcomes. 

Here are some examples using common combinations of compliance initiatives: 

• SOC 1 and SOC 2:  
  While SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports do serve different purposes, because there's considerable overlap in the evidence and process walkthroughs required for both, many of the data points and controls evaluated for SOC 1 can be leveraged effectively for SOC 2—knowing this, you can plan to streamline the process and plan to conduct both the SOC 1 and SOC 2 examinations simultaneously. 

• SOC and ISO 27001:  
  If you understand ahead of time that the more holistic ISO 27001 assessments require meeting hours or management review meetings, you can have your SOC auditors attend those ISO meetings to streamline processes and evidence collection. 

• SOC and PCI DSS:  
  If you recognize the nuances between the detailed requirements of securing cardholder data with PCI DSS assessments compared to the broader scope of SOC assessments, you can leverage existing evidence where applicable, thereby reducing redundancy and maximizing efficiency.   

By identifying commonalities and strategically planning evidence collection and process reviews, organizations can maximize efficiency and minimize duplication of efforts across multiple assessments.

2. Streamline Audit Processes: Strategies for Efficiency

The key to maximizing assessment efficiency is to simplify and streamline ongoing audit processes whenever possible. This is especially applicable for areas of overlap across the assessment demands.  

Here are some valuable tips for effectively coordinating simultaneous compliance assessments:  

• Map evidence needs across different assessments and identify areas of overlap.
• Align evidence collection efforts to gather required information for assessments simultaneously.
• Leverage common controls to streamline testing and evidence collection.
• Perform assessment fieldwork simultaneously to maximize resource utilization and minimize disruption to daily operations.
• Partner with subject matter experts who are knowledgeable across various compliance frameworks and leverage their expertise.

Taking a proactive and strategic approach to audit coordination and optimization can alleviate the burden on internal teams by reducing duplication of effort and saving time. By strategically aligning assessments and leveraging efficiencies, organizations enhance audit readiness and ensure a smoother path to meeting multiple compliance requirements. 

3. The Power of One: Use a Single Service Provider

Using a single service provider to complete multiple compliance assessments also plays a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency by reducing redundant efforts and aligning overlapping evidence collection efforts. It ensures consistency in audit methodologies, minimizes disruptions in your operations, and fosters a deeper understanding of your organization's security posture. Additionally, it can accelerate completion timelines and simplify communication, making the overall compliance process more seamless and manageable.  

By consolidating assessments under one provider, organizations can also benefit from a more holistic approach to risk management, as the auditor gains a comprehensive view of overlapping security and compliance gaps and requirements. This can lead to more strategic recommendations and improved long-term security posture. Furthermore, working with a single provider reduces the administrative burden of coordinating multiple audits, allowing internal teams to focus on core business operations rather than juggling different audit schedules, methodologies, and reporting formats. 

How Schellman Maximizes Compliance Assessment Efficiency 

At Schellman, we pride ourselves on our commitment to efficiency and effectiveness throughout audit processes. Through our innovative approaches and solutions, we prioritize delivering exceptional results while minimizing the burden on our clients. As a result, our clients can trust that their audit needs will always be met with unparalleled efficiency and professionalism while maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance. 

We maximize efficiency across multiple assessments by adopting a collaborative and comprehensive approach, aligning fieldwork across simultaneous assessments, and leveraging our innovative suite of solutions: 

Collaborative and Comprehensive Approach 

By streamlining meetings across services or assessments, we reduce the number of repetitive client interactions, ensuring a seamless and comprehensive experience. Moreover, our internal teams are strongly connected, comprising of numerous subject matter experts (SMEs) across various domains who align their efforts to ensure consistency and coherence in audit approaches. Leveraging the expertise of these individuals, we gain a comprehensive understanding of our clients' systems and processes, further streamlining our audit processes.  

This collaborative approach ensures that our audit efforts are not only lean and focused, but also highly informed and effective, resulting in smooth communication and coordination with our clients. Through our dedication to removing redundancy and harnessing the collective expertise of our internal teams, we not only maximize the value we provide to our clients but also uphold the highest standards of efficiency, professionalism, and report quality, consistently adhering to industry best practices and regulatory standards. 

Alignment of Fieldwork Across Assessments 

By performing fieldwork simultaneously for multiple assessments, we maximize resource utilization and minimize disruption to client operations, showcasing our dedication to minimizing downtime. Leveraging common controls where applicable enables us to identify overlaps and streamline testing and evidence collection, saving valuable time and effort for our clients. We understand that redundant efforts not only waste time and resources but also detract from overall audit effectiveness. By mapping evidence requests across different assessments, we proactively identify and remove duplicate efforts in our approach. 

Innovative Suite of Solutions 

We’re dedicated to delivering efficient and streamlined audit processes, and our suite of solutions plays a pivotal role in achieving this goal. Our innovative solutions not only enhance collaboration between our team and clients but also provide real-time insights and status updates throughout the audit journey. With intuitive dashboards, our clients gain a comprehensive view of the evidence collection process, empowering them with transparency throughout the audit process. 

Moreover, our solutions offer seamless linking of evidence requests to controls, eliminating unnecessary repetition and ensuring accuracy. Any updates or duplicates in controls are automatically synchronized throughout the report, saving time and minimizing manual reporting errors. Additionally, our solutions intelligently link controls between SOC 1 and SOC 2 assessments, streamlining testing processes and ensuring consistency where applicable. 

Our efficient reporting capabilities expedite the processing of audit reports, allowing us to deliver timely results without compromising quality. We understand audits can add to the workload, but our aim is to make the process as seamless as possible. Our dedicated teams prioritize building strong relationships with our clients, ensuring that every step of the audit journey is as straightforward and stress-free as possible, and our solutions help us accomplish this.  

Taking the Next Step in your Compliance Journey 

Navigating various compliance assessments can be a complex and demanding journey without the proper strategies and solutions in place. However, with thorough preparation and the right partnership, completing multiple assessments simultaneously can be an efficient and collaborative experience.  

At Schellman, we're committed to delivering exceptional results while minimizing the burden on our clients. By streamlining processes, leveraging innovative solutions, and fostering strong client relationships, we ensure that every audit journey is as smooth and stress-free as possible. 

Contact us today to discover how we can help streamline your audit processes and assist in achieving your compliance goals with ease. 

In the meantime, discover additional compliance assessment efficiency insights and audit readiness tips in these helpful resources:  

• 3+ Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Your Annual Compliance Cycle 
• 7 Steps Toward Audit Readiness 
• What To Look For When Choosing An Auditing Firm 
• The Importance of Formally Documented Policies and Procedures