Why Maturity Matters: Overcoming GRC Cognitive Overload with the Maturity Model

December 8, 2024

Please join Kayne McGladrey, author of the GRC Maturity Model and Cheri Hotman as they explore the GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) Maturity Model, a powerful tool for organizations to assess and enhance their cybersecurity practices. Achieving maturity in GRC is crucial for navigating complex regulatory landscapes and boosting overall effectiveness. Through self-assessments, organizations can identify their maturity level and progress through four stages of development. This not only enhances customer assurance but also aligns with the SEC’s 2025 priorities of improving disclosures, which should have a byproduct of reducing liabilities for CISOs. Embracing the GRC Maturity Model can streamline sales cycles, simplify attestations, and improve risk communication. While it’s not a cure-all, focusing on these capabilities can drive significant business value and prepare companies for future challenges.

Security Questionnaires: You Can’t Just Blame the Intern

Compliance, Events, GRC, Risk, Top Posts, TPRM

Let’s face it—no one enjoys security questionnaires. They are tedious and time-consuming, and it’s easy to question their real effectiveness in mitigating security risks, especially since they’re often a check-the-box exercise. However, in today’s digital landscape, they are unavoidable for building and maintaining trust with customers. Join us as we confront this harsh reality: despite […]

Bridging the Gap: Why Cybersecurity Tools Alone Aren’t Enough

Events

Investing in the latest cybersecurity tools doesn’t automatically mean you’re secure. Many leaders feel the initial promise of a new solution—only to realize it’s not delivering the protection they expected. So, what’s missing? In this session, we’ll break down where the responsibility of the tool ends and where your team’s role begins. We’ll uncover why […]

The Maturity Gap: Why GRC Programs Plateau (and How to Advance)

Cybersecurity, GRC, Other, Top Posts

Most GRC programs reach a point where they stop growing—mature enough to pass audits, but not resilient enough to lead. In this session, we’ll reveal the key traits of high-maturity programs and what it takes to get there. You’ll learn how to identify your plateau, remove roadblocks, and strategically advance your organization’s governance, risk, and […]

Securing AI: Balancing Innovation, Risk, and Reality

Cybersecurity, Other

AI adoption is exploding—but so are the risks. From data exposure and prompt injection to unregulated model training, most organizations are using AI without fully grasping where their data lives or how it’s being secured. In this session, we’ll unpack the real meaning of “securing AI,” exploring how risk, governance, and innovation must coexist. You’ll […]

What Operationalized GRC Actually Looks Like: From Silos to Systems

Cybersecurity, GRC, Other, Top Posts

Many organizations believe their GRC program is operational because audits are passing and tools are in place. In reality, operationalized GRC behaves very differently. Risk has clear ownership. Information flows across teams. Gaps surface early instead of being hidden. In this session, Cheri Hotman and Peter Spier walk through what an operationalized GRC program actually […]

Real Life GRC Horror Stories: Top Mistakes Haunting Your Program

Other

Just in time for Halloween, we’re pulling back the curtain on the Top 10 GRC Nightmares plaguing organizations today. From programs that only exist to “pass the audit,” to treating compliance as a checkbox exercise, these haunting mistakes can leave your organization more vulnerable than you realize. In this session, we’ll identify the most common […]

A Practical Approach to Choosing the Right GRC Tool

Compliance, Cybersecurity, Events, GRC, GRC SaaS

With countless GRC tools on the market, how do you know which one is the right fit for your organization? The wrong choice can lead to wasted resources and unmet security goals. In this session, we’ll walk through real-world cases, breaking down why specific tools were chosen and how they were successfully implemented. You’ll learn […]

Stop Asking If AI Is Trustworthy. Start Asking If Your System Is Governable

Cybersecurity, GRC, Other, Top Posts

Organizations are under pressure to adopt AI quickly, but many are still trying to govern AI-enabled systems with approaches suited for more predictable environments: policies, approvals, framework mappings, testing, and after-the-fact monitoring. Those mechanisms still matter, but they are not enough when systems retrieve changing context, invoke tools, operate through delegated authority, and create consequences […]

The Danger of the Perfect Audit

Cybersecurity, GRC, Other, Top Posts

Most companies accept audit reports at face value. Green checkboxes across the board, zero findings, everything conforming. That sounds like good news. It isn't. In this session, Cheri Hotman is joined by Tanya Wade, Brittany Schroeder, and Ja'Kayla Lovelace to do something different: pull up a real (fully anonymized) HIPAA compliance audit report and walk […]