Continuous controls monitoring 'transformative' for security
According to a new report from RegScale and The CISO Society, 94.2 percent of CISOs believe continuous controls monitoring (CCM) has the potential to significantly enhance both compliance and security outcomes.
As organizations struggle with manual workflows, data silos, and limited integrations, CCM provides an effective way to improve visibility, automate processes, and better align security and compliance efforts.
"CISOs are signaling a growing need for scalable, automated solutions to address inefficiencies and risks posed by outdated processes," says Dale Hoak, senior director of information security at RegScale. "Continuous Controls Monitoring is helping bridge the gap between compliance and security teams, offering the tools to automate workflows, streamline operations, and stay ahead of evolving regulatory demands. This approach empowers organizations to achieve greater efficiency and build resilience in an increasingly complex GRC environment."
Among the report's findings, 51.6 percent of CISOs struggle to mature their compliance programs, with 42 percent citing data and system silos and 40.4 percent highlighting the lack of centralized systems as key barriers. 95 percent of CISOs do not consider their programs optimized for continuous improvement.
Cost remains a critical factor, with 71.8 percent prioritizing it when selecting compliance solutions, 46.2 percent identifying insufficient budgets as a barrier to adopting GRC (governance risk and compliance) tools, and more than half (55.8 percent) viewing security and compliance as cost centers rather than business enablers.
While 79.8 percent of CISOs see automation as an opportunity to reduce manual processing, only 17.9 percent and 13 percent have started adopting Generative AI (GenAI) and Compliance-as-Code tools, respectively.
"Delivering trusted, actionable insights is essential for today’s CISOs as they navigate the relentless challenges of GRC," says Jason Cenamor, CEO and founder of The CISO Society. "Unlike other industry studies, this report draws directly from our community of CISOs who live these realities every day. Partnering with RegScale on the importance of continuous controls monitoring in the GRC space allowed us to co-create a resource that helps security leaders tackle the complexities of today and prepare for the challenges ahead in 2025. The results of this collaboration are truly invaluable."
The full report is available from the RegScale site.
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