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25/06/2026 12:31 am
TL;DR: GRC platforms are evolving from audit workflow tools into identity-linked control systems that automate evidence collection, continuous monitoring, and access governance across enterprise applications, according to Pathlock. The shift matters because compliance teams now need control visibility that reaches human, NHI, and privileged application access rather than static checklists.
NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Pathlock: governance, risk, and compliance platforms in 2025
By the numbers:
- 72% of organisations have experienced or suspect they have experienced a breach of non-human identities.
Questions worth separating out
Q: How should organisations use GRC platforms for access governance?
A: They should use GRC platforms to validate whether access controls are actually operating across business systems, not just whether policies exist.
Q: When does GRC automation create more value than manual audit workflows?
A: It creates more value when control evidence changes frequently, multiple systems feed the same obligation, or audit preparation consumes significant operational time.
Q: What do security teams get wrong about continuous GRC?
A: They often treat it as a faster way to package evidence for audits.
Practitioner guidance
- Map application access controls to live identity data sources Connect ERP, HR, ITSM, and IAM events so control testing reflects actual provisioning, temporary access, and offboarding activity rather than spreadsheet snapshots.
- Define segregation of duties rules at the business-process level Work with application owners to document toxic permission combinations in SAP, Oracle, Workday, and similar systems, then enforce them through policy-driven workflows.
- Build a single control library for multi-framework reporting Cross-map obligations once, assign named control owners, and reuse the same evidence set across audit, compliance, and operational resilience programmes.
What's in the full article
Pathlock's full analysis covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- Platform-specific workflow examples for evidence collection, role design, and compliance provisioning across enterprise applications.
- Product-level breakdown of how continuous monitoring and access risk analysis are implemented inside application governance modules.
- Implementation detail for temporary privileged access, automated revocation, and audit-ready reporting in connected ERP environments.
- Examples of how cross-mapped controls are represented across different compliance and risk workflows.
👉 Read Pathlock's analysis of GRC platforms and identity access governance →
GRC platforms and access governance: what IAM teams need to know?
Explore further
25/06/2026 9:26 am
GRC is becoming an identity governance layer, not just a compliance wrapper. The article shows that modern platforms now sit closer to access governance than traditional policy management because they automate evidence, monitoring, and application controls. That matters for IAM teams because the boundary between GRC and entitlement control is collapsing across enterprise applications. Practitioners should treat GRC as part of the identity control plane, not a separate reporting function.
A few things that frame the scale:
- 72% of organisations have experienced or suspect they have experienced a breach of non-human identities, according to The 2024 ESG Report: Managing Non-Human Identities.
- Two-thirds of enterprises have endured a successful cyberattack resulting from compromised non-human identities, with a quarter encountering multiple attacks, according to The 2024 ESG Report: Managing Non-Human Identities.
A question worth separating out:
Q: Who should own application access governance in a GRC programme?
A: Ownership should sit with the business and application teams that understand how access supports real work, with security and compliance providing policy and oversight. If ownership lives only in the GRC tool or security team, segregation of duties, temporary access, and offboarding gaps are likely to persist.
👉 Read our full editorial: GRC platforms are becoming identity control systems in 2025
