The Promise vs. The Reality
When the first wave of GRC automation tools hit the market, the pitch was simple: "Install our agent, connect your cloud, and you're compliant." However, many CTOs are finding that the subscription price is just the tip of the iceberg. In 2026, we call this the Legacy GRC Tax.
While first-generation automation platforms are excellent at data collection, they often leave the interpretation and remediation entirely to your team. This results in unforeseen costs in time, resources, and mental overhead.
1. The "Alert Fatigue" Tax
Legacy tools are built on static rules. If a setting doesn't perfectly match their template, you get a notification. The result? Hundreds of "fails" that require manual triage. The hidden cost lies in the engineering hours spent filtering noise instead of shipping product features.
2. The "Double Mapping" Trap
Moving from SOC 2 to ISO 27001 or the EU AI Act? With most traditional platforms, you're often forced to start from scratch when mapping evidence. Because these systems don't semantically understand what a screenshot or log proves, you have to manually bridge the gap between different frameworks.
3. The Policy-Writer Overhead
A tool that only scans your cloud is not a complete GRC solution. You still need airtight policies. Legacy platforms typically offer generic templates that you must manually tailor to your organization—a process that can take weeks of back-and-forth with legal and security teams.
4. The Consultant Dependency
Ironically, many companies using legacy GRC software still find themselves hiring expensive external consultants to bridge the gaps in the software or to translate the tool's output into something an auditor will actually accept.
This dependency exists because traditional tools focus on dashboards rather than actionable intelligence—leaving the interpretation gap for humans (and their billable hours) to fill.
Conclusion: Choose Efficiency over Dashboards
The hidden costs of GRC are not found in the license fee; they are found in the manual labor the tool fails to perform. Basenorm is designed to eliminate that labor through intelligent automation and proactive support.
Stop paying the "Legacy Tax."