Working for the Business, not the Auditors

Adequate corporate goals are a strategic necessity because they set the baseline against which every decision and action should be measured, including costs, side effects, and intended outcomes. Many organizations have historically treated legal/regulatory compliance, policy adherence, and industry standards as external “must-dos” rather than as business goals. This framing leads to a reactive culture where audit findings are seen as unexpected burdens, prompting tactical fixes aimed at satisfying auditors rather than eliminating root causes.

Such short-term remediation is costly and disruptive: organizations implement isolated solutions with high personnel and financial effort, only to face similar findings again in later audits. These unfocused investments can hinder operations and may meet audit requirements without meaningfully improving security. A shift in focus is required: cybersecurity, well-managed digital identities, privacy, and governance should be positioned as strategic business goals that directly protect the organization, support core business execution, and reduce reputational risk that extends beyond traditional IT risk.

Compliance and security functions are often viewed as blockers, yet they enable agility, innovation, and growth by reducing risk, preventing data loss, and ensuring employees can work without disruption. In practice, compliance is frequently a prerequisite for business relationships, illustrated by TISAX expectations in parts of the automotive supply chain since 2017. Organizations should adopt “compliance and cybersecurity by design,” translating a clear vision into strategy and roadmap, enabling evidence of controls “at the push of a button.” Continuous monitoring and improvement reduces effort over time while increasing risk mitigation. Crucially, being compliant does not mean being secure; security depends on taking the right actions, not merely passing audits.

• Legal and regulatory compliance is often not considered part of corporate goals and is treated as a “must do” imposed from outside.
• Reactive remediation of audit findings commonly involves tactical measures that are not integrated into an overall strategy.
• Unplanned, unfocused investments from audit-driven fixes can hinder or inhibit normal operations.
• Fixing audit issues without a sustainable strategy can meet audit requirements without increasing an organization’s security.
• Verified shortcomings in security, privacy, and identity significantly influence company image and reputational risk.
• Since 2017, many car manufacturers and suppliers in the German automotive industry have demanded TISAX certification from business partners.
• Compliance means adhering to laws and regulations.
• Audit means proving you are doing what you say you do and can provide evidence retrospectively.
• Being compliant does not mean a company is safe.
• Constantly monitored and improved compliance can reduce effort while increasing risk mitigation.

• “Compliance to legal and regulatory requirements… has often not been considered as part of the corporate goals.”
• “Consequently, this fosters a reactive culture in companies, which is primarily focused on the short-term tactical goal of satisfying the auditors.”
• “Unplanned and unfocused investments are left behind, and normal operations are hindered or completely inhibited.”
• “Fixing audit issues without a sustainable strategy maybe will meet the given audit requirements, but does not at all increase an organization’s security.”
• “Organizations and their leaders need to understand that a change in focus is required.”
• “Especially well managed digital identities are boosting the digital transformation.”
• “If cybersecurity, well-managed digital identities, privacy and governance are strategic business goals… then checkbox compliance becomes much easier.”
• “Compliance, governance and information security are often seen mainly as teams and functions that prevent business and innovation by saying no.”
• “The fact that you are compliant does not mean that your company is safe.”
• “Taking the right actions does.”