Search Results

Archer CEO Bill Diaz addressed these three terms in his keynote at Archer Summit 2023. Bill was speaking about the mindset necessary for chief risk officers and risk teams need to adopt for success in today's operating environment.   Coincidentally, I couldn't think of three better words to describe the mindset of the many people that we work with day in and day out, including our customers, our partners, executives and risk professionals working inside organisations that are looking for solutions to improve their programs. We listen and we understand the challenges they face, as well as the opportunities they want to harness.   These terms also reflect the changing appetite for risk technology in the India market. We see organisations across all industries looking for risk technology that demonstrates:   Agility -- the ability to reach multiple audiences and have the solution bend and shape to their needs. Resilience -- risk technology delivered in a resilient manner (i.e. secure and highly available) but that also delivers workloads that enable resilience in the organisation itself (e.g. enterprise risk management, cyber risk management, third party risk management). Foresight -- solutions that fuse global best practices, emerging practices (such as risk quantification and ESG) and emerging technology (such as AI) that also cater to local requirements (such as in-country cloud).   In March 2023, Archer announced  investments it was making in India, including doubling of our local account and solutions consulting team and plans for a new SaaS data center in India.   Today, we’re pleased to launch the newest data center for Archer SaaS in India, which enables us to address the requirements of our customers in the region. SaaS adoption is climbing quickly, with the Indian SaaS ecosystem already the second largest globally. The Indian economy set to become the third largest globally by 2030 and the demand for SaaS based risk technology has never been higher.   Local regulators, including SEBI and the RBI, expect organisations doing business in India to have increasingly robust risk and IT governance programs, while ensuring their critical IT systems are secure and onshore. These capabilities are now must haves. The Archer team in India is proud to enable risk management excellence for many Indian organisations. We are actively working with multiple marquee Indian customers in financial services and IT/IS to already run risk workloads in the cloud and to migrate some on-premises deployed customers to Archer SaaS.   To learn more about Archer SaaS in India, please register your interest here.

Authors : Tahmina Day and Vinod Sreedharan Third-party relationships have evolved, making suppliers integral to core business functions. This deep integration introduces complex risks that demand a strategic approach to third-party risk management (TPRM). Beyond being a compliance task, a well-designed TPRM program becomes a business enabler. It supports confident growth, strengthens partnerships, and offers a competitive advantage through superior risk intelligence. This shift in culture transforms TPRM from a distracting necessity into a significant asset for the organization. Gartner : Organizations are increasingly relying on third parties, including vendors, partners, and service providers, to achieve business objectives, deliver products and services, and boost operational efficiency. Despite the growing risks, many organizations struggle to manage third-party risks effectively. Only 16% of organizations, according to Gartner, believe they effectively manage third-party risks. Source: https://www.gartner.com/en/legal-compliance/trends/third-party-risk-governance-and-technology   Why TPRM Has Become Essential for Business Success Business leaders today face a delicate balancing act: harnessing external partners for growth while protecting the organization from inherent risks. Every new vendor introduces potential vulnerabilities across cybersecurity, compliance, and brand reputation. The real challenge is finding a risk management approach that enables business agility, not one that constrains it. Organizations that succeed in this balance realize that thoughtful risk management strengthens vendor relationships. When suppliers understand your risk priorities as shared objectives, partnerships become more productive, and trust deepens naturally, making TPRM essential for success. Establishing a Centralized Risk-Based TPRM Program Today, TPRM responsibilities are often scattered across departments, such as Procurement, Legal, and IT, which work in isolation using different criteria. This fragmentation leads to critical information falling through the cracks, preventing a complete view of vendor risk. This becomes dangerous when issues arise, as a cybersecurity incident or financial trouble at a supplier may not be discovered until it's too late to prevent disruption. Smart organizations solve this by centralizing TPRM, creating unified processes that give everyone access to the same information. They also tailor evaluation requirements to a vendor’s actual risk level—a critical cloud provider gets a thorough review, while a low-risk office supplier gets basic verification. This proportional approach allocates resources effectively, avoiding unnecessary overhead. The key is maintaining a single, authoritative record for each vendor relationship so that decisions are faster and more consistent across the organization. Verdantix : The market for third-party risk management is undergoing a period of accelerated innovation, driven by a greater focus on business resilience, incoming mandatory regulations, pressure to meet ESG expectations, and unprecedented levels of scrutiny over data quality and reporting. Source: https://www.verdantix.com/client-portal/report/buyer-s-guide-third-party-risk-management-software-2024   Implementing Continuous Risk Monitoring Vendor risk profiles can change overnight due to cybersecurity incidents, financial deterioration, or market disruptions. This requires monitoring that provides early warning signals, not just post-incident notifications. Continuous monitoring integrates real-time data feeds from cyber threat intelligence and regulatory watchlists, creating dynamic risk profiles that reflect current conditions. Smart alert configurations flag significant deviations and trend analytics identify patterns to enable proactive management. This allows organizations to intervene early, addressing emerging issues before they escalate into business disruption. Forrester : Third-party risk management (TPRM) is not keeping up with business reality. As organizations expand their ecosystem of third-party relationships, so must they evolve their strategies to mitigate the risks arising from the interconnectedness of these relationships.  Source: https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-state-of-third-party-risk-management-2024-dire-hopeful-but-mostly-noseblind/   Integrating TPRM with Enterprise Governance TPRM programs achieve strategic value when they become integral to enterprise decision-making, moving beyond isolated compliance functions. Risk insights should directly inform sourcing, investment, and strategic partnerships. Successful integration requires seamless workflows that connect TPRM with procurement, legal, and enterprise risk management processes. All departments must work from consistent data and shared risk frameworks to ensure coordinated responses to vendor-related challenges. Executive reporting is crucial, providing clear, contextualized vendor risk information that links third-party exposures to business impact metrics. This helps senior leaders understand how risks might affect customer satisfaction, revenue, and brand reputation, enabling more informed decisions. Prioritization should also be based on business impact, ensuring that resources are allocated proportionally to potential consequences. IDC : As risks presented by third-party providers expand to include areas of cybersecurity, operational resiliency, and ethics management, organizations are seeking robust third-party risk management solutions to help automate and improve upon vendor risk management programs. Source: https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US48295522   Building a Partnership-Focused Culture While technology is essential for modern TPRM, sustainable success requires a cultural shift toward collaboration. The most effective programs treat vendors as strategic partners who share responsibility for risk outcomes. Open communication a bout risk priorities enables proactive issue resolution, a more effective approach than compliance enforcement. Measuring success through business outcomes, like partnership strengthening and incident reduction, demonstrates clear value to leadership beyond traditional compliance metrics. The Path Forward Third-party risk management is a critical capability for modern organizations. The challenge for leaders is transforming existing processes into strategic advantages. Success requires integrated thinking, continuous improvement, and collaborative partnerships. Organizations that navigate this transformation build resilient operations and position themselves for sustainable growth. Investing in mature TPRM capabilities pays dividends through improved decision-making, stronger vendor relationships, and enhanced competitive advantage in dynamic markets. Ready to transform your TPRM program from compliance burden to strategic advantage? Discover how Archer's third-party governance solutions can centralize your risk management, strengthen vendor partnerships, and drive measurable business value. Learn more about Archer's TPRM capabilities  and contact us for a demo   today.

Day 1 set the stage for Archer Summit 2025 and Day 2 built momentum. From the opening keynote to closing labs, one message was clear: risk and compliance aren’t slowing down—and neither are we.  Beyond new tools and features, what stood out were the best practices and lessons learned our customers and partners shared, with honest stories about what works, what doesn’t, and how progress really gets made.  The Future of Compliance and Risk Management  The product keynote focused on the newly introduced Archer Evolv™ Risk and Archer Evolv Intelligence offerings that round out the Archer Evolv portfolio. These latest Archer Evolv solutions will reshape how organizations approach GRC.  It’s no longer viewed as a back-office requirement. It’s becoming an even bigger driver of trust and stronger decision-making. The discussion made clear that responding to regulatory change and managing risk with speed and clarity is now an expectation at the board level.  Client Perspectives That Resonate  Client-led sessions throughout Day 2 reinforced that message with real-world examples:  Turkcell  showed how centralizing audit work improved oversight and fostered a culture of accountability.  Mass General Brigham  shared a powerful metric—reducing cyber risk assessments from 62 days to 15—the kind of result that proves efficiency doesn’t mean having to cut corners.  Amazon  demonstrated resilience at scale, planning for disruptions as a constant reality rather than a rare events.  BECU  showcased their journey to SaaS and why it was worth it.  Talcott Financial Group’ s session resonated with attendees facing heavily customized legacy systems, sharing how they navigated the upgrade path.  Fifth Third, TD Bank, Corebridge, and Nationwide  highlighted how persistence through complexity pays off when programs become easier to use, adopt, and trust.  A Fresh Look at Third-Party Risk Management  A panel on third-party risk management was another highlight of Day 2. Rather than focusing on technology alone, the discussion emphasized judgment—how to filter vast amounts of intelligence into decisive, actionable steps. The consensus was clear that data is not the destination but rather the starting point.  Innovation in Focus  Even the product sessions felt different today. New dashboards and workflows in Archer NGRX showed how daily tasks can be simplified. A session on Personal Access Tokens demonstrated how small security enhancements can reduce friction while strengthening confidence. In the labs, hands-on work with Smart Assessments and Archer AI Governance provided attendees with firsthand experience in transforming manual tasks into measurable momentum.   Day 2 delivered insights from clients, candor from partners, and innovation from Archer product teams. It all pointed to the same message: progress is no longer theoretical. It’s happening now. And the impact is visible across organizations, teams, and strategies.

There’s something about Chicago. The sweeping skyline, the iconic architecture, the energy of a city that’s constantly reinventing itself. It’s the perfect backdrop for Archer Summit 2025 and this year’s gathering of GRC professionals has officially kicked off. It’s more than just another industry conference. It’s a reunion, a look forward, and a chance to roll up our sleeves together to tackle the future of compliance and risk management.  This year celebrates the 20 th  Archer Summit, and this year feels different. Bigger. Faster. Bolder. Archer has been moving at an unprecedented pace, laser-focused on delivering innovative GRC solutions that help organizations to thrive in today’s uncertain environment. And the announcements we’re sharing this week prove it.  A Future-Focused Archer Summit for GRC Professionals  The conversations happening in Chicago this week are bigger than software releases or technical upgrades. They’re about building sustainable, impactful risk and compliance programs that can withstand the pressures of modern business.   Let’s face it: the risk and compliance landscape has never been more complex. Regulations aren’t slowing down - they’re multiplying and intersecting. Risks aren’t confined to neat categories anymore - they’re cascading across supply chains, geographies, and business units. And GRC isn’t just about checking boxes - it’s about ensuring resilience, protecting brand reputation, and creating confidence in every decision.  That’s the spirit of Archer Summit 2025: taking on these challenges together, with the tools, insights, and community to move forward with confidence.  Innovation on Display: What’s New at Archer Summit 2025  This year, Archer is making some major announcements that reshape the way organizations think about compliance and  risk management. Highlights include:  1. The Introduction of Archer Evolv™ Risk   We’re ushering in the next evolution of enterprise risk management with Archer Evolv Risk - a solution built for organizations that need to manage uncertainty at scale.  Risk management has always been about trade-offs: where to invest, what to prioritize, how to weigh compliance requirements against strategic goals. But too often, risk assessments are qualitative, disconnected, and outdated as soon as they’re complete. Archer Evolv Risk changes that.  With Archer Evolv Risk, you can quantify risks, simulate scenarios, and evaluate the true economic impact of their decisions. Want to understand the ROI of a new control? Want to compare the cost of compliance against the cost of risk exposure? Want to give your board a clear, quantified view of top risks? That’s exactly what Evolv Risk is designed to do.   2. The Introduction of Archer Evolv™ Intelligence   Archer Evolv Intelligence is our next-generation analytics approach, designed to unlock the full power of operational GRC data.   With Archer Evolv Intelligence, we’re bridging the gap between data and action. Imagine being able to surface hidden trends, spot emerging risks, and make decisions with confidence because your analytics engine is continuously learning from your operational data. This isn’t about static dashboards. It’s about an intelligent layer of insight that adapts as your business and the regulatory landscape changes.  In a world where risk management must be proactive, Archer Evolv Intelligence puts GRC teams a step ahead.   Why This Matters for GRC  These announcements are part of a bigger story: the evolution of how organizations approach GRC.  From reactive to proactive: Traditional compliance programs were built to react. New regulation, new process; new risk, new mitigation. But today, organizations that excel are those that stay ahead of change. Our strategy is simple: help clients shift from reactive reporting to proactive insight.  From qualitative to quantitative: Risk management can’t rely solely on heat maps and color codes anymore. Boards, regulators, and investors expect hard numbers—expected loss, value at risk, ROI for controls. Archer Evolv Risk makes those numbers possible without requiring a PhD in statistics.  From siloed to integrated: Risk and compliance don’t live in one department, and neither should your GRC program. Archer’s continued adaptation across the portfolio ensures that whether you’re in compliance, audit, resilience, or third-party management, you’re working with connected data and shared insights.  From compliance-centric to business-centric: At its core, compliance management is about more than avoiding fines. It’s about protecting your organization’s reputation, building resilience, and creating the confidence to innovate. GRC is no longer a back-office function. It’s central to business strategy.     Final Thoughts  If you’re a GRC professional, whether you’re leading risk management at a global enterprise, managing compliance in a highly regulated industry, or just getting your program off the ground, this year’s Archer Summit is driving home several key trends:  Analytics is redefining GRC.  There is a new standard for risk management.  GRC programs are adapting to meet emerging challenges.  The skyline of Chicago at Archer Summit 2025 is a metaphor for what we’re building together—strong foundations, bold structures, and a future that can withstand the test of time.  Here’s to another great Archer Summit. And here’s to the future of compliance and risk management.

While the need for risk management has never been more critical, the challenge goes beyond just managing risks. It requires evolving processes to fuel innovation and business growth. The Archer Platform empowers businesses to manage risk  across the organization through a transformative user experience, intelligent workflows, and real-time insights. Empowering Your Users Archer is built with the user in mind, delivering a truly transformational experience that simplifies the most complex aspects of risk management.  A clean, intuitive UI allows teams to spend less time trying to remember how to do risk management and more time on critical steps, improving the quality and timeliness of information, reducing bottlenecks and improving decision-making processes. Redefining Risk and Compliance Management with Intelligent Workflows Going beyond just making risk management easier, Archer introduces intelligent AI-driven workflows that completely redefine how organizations manage GRC. These workflows are designed to automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes, and provide end-to-end visibility, ensuring that users can respond to risks with better information and with greater precision. Archer workflows transform risk and compliance from being reactive processes to proactive, value-driving activities that fuel growth for your business. Redefining Risk and Compliance Management with Intelligent Workflows Going beyond just making risk management easier, Archer introduces intelligent AI-driven workflows that completely redefine how organizations manage GRC. These workflows are designed to automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes, and provide end-to-end visibility, ensuring that users can respond to risks with better information and with greater precision. Archer workflows transform risk and compliance from being reactive processes to proactive, value-driving activities that fuel growth for your business. Delivering Real-Time Business Insights for Informed Decisions One of the most significant advantages of Archer is delivery of quantifiable business insights that guide users in making informed decisions. In risk management, having financial information to evaluate risks is critical. Archer integrates quantifiable data from across your business, offering a comparable view of risks, compliance status, and potential pitfalls. With these insights at your fingertips, you can identify trends, anticipate challenges, and take measured steps to mitigate risk. Quantifiable insights also provide a clear, actionable picture of the organization’s enterprise risk posture, enabling leadership to make strategic decisions that align with their strategic and operating objectives. Conclusion Archer doesn’t just help organizations manage risk. We help our clients —transform the way they approach GRC to drive business innovation and growth. Through a simplified user experience, intelligent workflows, and real-time insights, Archer empowers users to take control of risk management and make smarter, faster decisions. By integrating risk management seamlessly into your business, Archer ensures that your organization is not only protected from risk but also positioned to thrive in an ever-changing landscape. Interested in learning more about the Next Generation Risk Experience with Archer? Watch the video , check out the website , or contact us.

The United Kingdom is setting the tone in the global corporate governance conversation. Provision 29 of the revised UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 marks a significant development in how boards are expected to assess and disclose the effectiveness of their risk management and internal control arrangements. While applicable only to UK-listed companies, the principles embedded in the provision are already resonating with practitioners, investors, and regulators beyond the country's borders.   Provision 29 requires boards to produce an annual declaration on the effectiveness of material internal controls. These controls extend beyond traditional financial reporting to cover operational processes, compliance activities, and the increasingly important sphere of narrative and non-financial reporting. This breadth reflects the reality that risks are interconnected and that oversight must be equally comprehensive.   Although comparisons to the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) are common, there are key differences. Provision 29 remains a principles-based requirement within the UK's "comply or explain" framework. It does not mandate auditor attestation, impose statutory penalties for deficiencies, or prescribe a rigid methodology. Instead, it relies on transparency, investor scrutiny, and reputational accountability to drive compliance. The underlying philosophy is that boards should have flexibility in how they design, operate, and assess controls, provided they can clearly explain their approach and conclusions.   Alignment with Established Risk Management Frameworks One reason the provision is attracting international interest is its compatibility with widely recognized Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) frameworks:   The COSO framework  emphasizes governance structures, strategic integration, and performance monitoring. Provision 29's requirement for a board-level declaration reinforces these principles by making directors explicitly accountable for the adequacy and effectiveness of the control environment.   ISO 31000 , the global standard for risk management, calls for a systematic approach to identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risk. Boards adopting ISO 31000 principles will find they already address many of the processes necessary to meet Provision 29 requirements. Although the "Three Lines of Defense" model  is not referenced explicitly, the approach anticipated under Provision 29 aligns naturally with its logic: operational management as the first line, risk and compliance functions as the second, and independent assurance as the third. This structure provides a coherent evidence base for the annual declaration. For organizations with mature ERM systems, complying with Provision 29 may not require wholesale change. The main adjustment lies in enhancing the integration of control evaluations into board reporting cycles, documenting assurance activities in a way that supports public statements, and ensuring the process is embedded in both culture and practice.   Historical Precedents of UK Regulatory Influence Provision 29 sits within a long tradition of UK regulatory and governance developments whose influence has extended far beyond domestic borders:   ·  The Cadbury Report of 1992  established principles for board responsibilities, audit committees, and the "comply or explain" approach. Its ideas were integrated into the UK's Combined Code and have influenced national governance codes from South Africa's King Reports to Singapore's Code of Corporate Governance, as well as shaping the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance.   ·  The UK's company law framework , particularly as consolidated in the Companies Act 2006, has provided a reference point for many Commonwealth jurisdictions and other countries operating under common law traditions. While individual statutes vary, concepts such as directors' duties, shareholder rights, and disclosure obligations owe much to the UK model.   · The UK Bribery Act 2010  introduced a corporate offense of failure to prevent bribery, applied to both public and private sectors, and included extraterritorial jurisdiction. This uncompromising approach has prompted multinational companies to strengthen their global anti-bribery programs and has been studied by other legislatures considering similar provisions.   ·  The Modern Slavery Act 2015  pioneered mandatory annual reporting on steps taken to prevent forced labor and human trafficking in operations and supply chains. This transparency model has since been adopted in Australia and is reflected in current and forthcoming EU supply-chain due diligence laws.   ·  The Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) , introduced in UK financial services in 2016, assigned prescribed responsibilities to named individuals and required annual certification of certain roles. Variants of this accountability framework now exist in Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and Ireland, reflecting a shared regulatory goal of ensuring personal responsibility in senior roles.   Why Organizations Outside the UK Should Pay Attention Provision 29's influence is not driven by statutory enforcement powers. Instead, it is becoming a reference point because it codifies governance practices that many institutional investors and rating agencies already value. A clear and credible board-level statement on control effectiveness signals organizational maturity, transparency, and a proactive stance toward risk.   For multinational groups, adopting processes that meet or align with Provision 29 offers several advantages. It strengthens investor confidence, facilitates consistent risk oversight across jurisdictions, and prepares the organization for possible adoption of similar rules in other markets. It can also improve internal efficiency by embedding risk evaluation into strategic decision-making rather than treating it as an isolated compliance exercise. Provision 29 is unlikely to become a universal legal requirement in the near term, but its principles are positioned to influence global practice. As boards and executives face increasingly complex risk environments, frameworks that combine flexibility with accountability will be at a premium.   The decision for organizations outside the UK is not simply whether to comply—it is whether to benchmark themselves against an approach that is gaining traction among investors, regulators, and governance professionals as a credible model for integrated risk oversight. Those who adopt its principles early may gain both reputational and operational benefits, while those who wait risk being seen as lagging behind emerging expectations. Take Action: Transform Risk Management Lessons into Practice Ready to explore how Provision 29's principles can strengthen your organization's risk oversight? Download the eBook "6 Risk Management Lessons from Provision 29 of the UK Corporate Governance Code"  to: Explore how the principles of Provision 29 offer globally relevant strategies for strengthening risk and internal control systems Learn how to proactively address third- and fourth-party risk across complex supply chains Discover why treating risk management as a strategic capability, not just a compliance requirement, positions your organization for long-term resilience   In this eBook, you'll find six clear, actionable lessons that help translate the principles of Provision 29 into everyday business practices. Whether you're in the UK or operating globally, these insights can support smarter risk management and a stronger, more resilient organization.

Risk management professionals face unprecedented challenges, as regulatory requirements evolve at breakneck speed and organizations demand more precise, data-driven risk assessments. The latest independent research from Verdantix confirms what many compliance leaders already know – that the right GRC platform can make the difference between reactive firefighting and strategic risk excellence.   Verdantix recently published its comprehensive Verdantix Green Quadrant: GRC Software 2025 report, positioning Archer in the Leaders Quadrant. This recognition comes from rigorous evaluation of 15 leading GRC software providers and covers both platform capabilities and market momentum.   According to the Verdantix report: "Archer demonstrates significant strengths in quantitative risk scoring methodologies, providing organizations with precise, data-driven assessments of risk exposure." Archer achieved a perfect score in regulatory change management and the highest possible rating in Verdantix's evaluation framework. This best-in-class performance stems from Archer’s AI-powered approach to compliance obligations, to enhance accuracy, consistency, and responsiveness across regulatory workflows. Archer also earned strong above-average scores from Verdantix in audit management, data inputs and business intelligence, governance and policy management, and reporting capabilities.   The Verdantix report reveals significant market momentum that aligns with Archer’s strategic direction.   ”Over 65% of participants in the Verdantix 2024 Global Corporate Risk Management survey said they plan to boost their spending on GRC software by at least 10% within the next two years.” It’s clear that organizations are abandoning static, point-in-time risk assessments in favor of dynamic, continuous monitoring capabilities.   The Verdantix report also notes that "firms are prioritizing platforms with well-developed, purpose-built use cases that span the complete risk lifecycle." This shift toward comprehensive solutions reflects growing recognition that fragmented approaches can't keep pace with today's interconnected risk landscape.   The Verdantix report highlights a critical market reality: regulatory expectations are evolving faster than ever, especially in sustainability disclosures, AI governance, data privacy, and financial resilience. Organizations need platforms that can adapt quickly while maintaining the rigorous control environment that auditors and regulators demand.   The recognition from Verdantix validates our commitment to quantitative excellence and AI-powered compliance management. As regulatory complexity continues to increase, organizations need partners who can deliver both sophisticated capabilities and practical implementation approaches. For risk and compliance professionals evaluating their technology strategy, the Verdantix report provides independent confirmation of Archer's leadership position in critical areas that directly impact program success.   Read the report  and contact us   to learn more about how Archer can help you optimize your GRC program.

Organizations are continuing to embed artificial intelligence in business operations, from third-party applications to internally developed tools. As adoption grows, so does the need for oversight. Without a defined approach to AI governance, organizations expose themselves to compliance gaps, reputational damage, and operational failures. Whether you are building AI models in-house or relying on vendor solutions, a consistent governance framework   is essential to identify, manage, and address risk across the enterprise. Internal AI Solutions: More Control, More Risk Enterprise teams are increasingly developing custom AI solutions to accelerate business outcomes, improve operational efficiency, and gain competitive insights. These internal innovations drive significant value but also introduce governance challenges that require proactive management. Without structured oversight, internal AI development can create blind spots in your risk profile. Risks include: Unintended bias that skews results or reinforces inequalities Amplified data quality issues that impact decision-making Compliance gaps when models operate outside established frameworks Lack of visibility into how AI is being built, deployed, and monitored Without effective internal AI governance, organizations cannot: Maintain a clear understanding of how AI is being used Keep accurate AI inventories across business units Ensure alignment with emerging regulatory requirements such as the EU AI Act Building powerful AI systems is only part of the equation. Promoting ethical practices and ensuring responsible use must be central to every AI initiative. Third-Party AI Tools: Accountability Still Falls on You Using vendor software with embedded AI does not eliminate responsibility. Even when development happens outside your organization, you remain accountable for how these tools perform within your environment. Most vendors do not provide full transparency into how their AI models are trained or how outputs are generated. That lack of visibility makes it essential to evaluate external AI tools before and after adoption. Establish a standard set of review criteria that includes: How data is collected, stored, and secured How models are monitored and updated How outputs are explained and validated The EU AI Act reinforces this shared responsibility. While obligations apply to AI developers and providers, organizations are equally accountable for how systems are deployed and used. You may not control how an external model was built, but you are responsible for monitoring its outcomes and ensuring its use complies with regulatory requirements. This is not about avoiding AI. It is about using it responsibly and with a clear understanding of your obligations. AI Governance: From Policy to Program Effective governance cannot be achieved through ad hoc efforts. As AI expands across the enterprise, organizations need a programmatic approach that establishes process, ownership, and accountability. This requires more than a policy. It requires cross-functional engagement, defined roles, and clear responsibilities. The goal of AI governance is to reduce uncertainty. With a program in place, organizations can confidently adopt AI, knowing it is being managed responsibly, ethically, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Learn More Archer and EY have come together to delivery this insightful webcast on ‘ The EU AI Act in Focus: Ecosystem-Wide Strategies for Responsible AI ’. The discussion will explore why AI governance must go beyond just meeting EU AI Act requirements and become a core, sustainable process within organizations. This session will foster important conversations for developing an AI governance strategy that adapts and grows with your organization’s needs. Discover how Archer and EY are helping enterprises use AI responsibly. Watch the webcast here.

An autonomous AI system tasked with cost optimization independently renegotiates vendor contracts, achieving significant savings while creating unauthorized contractual obligations. Six months later, leadership discovers the AI has been making decisions no human explicitly approved, and determining accountability becomes nearly impossible. This scenario represents the new reality of Agentic AI—autonomous systems that deliver remarkable results while fundamentally challenging traditional governance frameworks. For enterprise leaders across all sectors, understanding how to govern these self-directed systems has become a critical competitive imperative.   The Governance Challenge of Autonomous AI Enterprise organizations in financial services, healthcare, and insurance are leveraging artificial intelligence to streamline processes, enhance decision-making, and gain competitive advantages. However, as AI capabilities expand, a groundbreaking frontier is emerging that demands urgent attention from Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) leaders: Agentic AI. Unlike traditional AI systems that follow predetermined rules, agentic AI possesses true autonomy. It interprets high-level goals, makes independent decisions, and acts without human intervention. While this capability unlocks unprecedented efficiencies, it introduces equally unprecedented risks that legacy GRC frameworks are ill-equipped to address.   Accountability in an Autonomous Era The shift to agentic AI represents a fundamental departure from traditional AI governance. Legacy GRC frameworks rely on predictable system behaviors and clear human decision points. Agentic AI, by contrast, autonomously navigates gray areas, creates new pathways, and occasionally rewrites its own directives to achieve overarching objectives. Consider an autonomous agent optimizing a supply chain by renegotiating supplier contracts without prior approval. While achieving the intended cost savings, it expands the "accountability surface" across multiple roles—from decision-making executives to compliance officers and system administrators. The critical question becomes: Who bears responsibility for actions that no one explicitly authorized? To manage this complexity, GRC leaders must establish clear accountability chains spanning the entire lifecycle of agentic AI systems. From initial objective setting through continuous oversight, every stakeholder must understand where accountability begins and ends.   Understanding Agentic AI's Expanded Risk Landscape Traditional risk categories such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and model bias prove inadequate for agentic AI systems. AI with true autonomy introduces interconnected risks that demand careful consideration: Autonomy Risk The potential for unintended, unauthorized actions driven by self-directed decision-making. For example, an AI agent might automatically approve high-value transactions outside established parameters to meet aggressive efficiency targets. Emergent Behavior Risk Unpredictable and potentially harmful outcomes resulting from the AI's adaptive learning and dynamic interactions. A fraud detection AI agent might begin flagging legitimate transactions from specific demographics due to biased pattern recognition that emerged over time. Ethical Drift Scenarios where autonomous systems subtly move away from organizational values or ethical principles. A lending AI agent might gradually tighten approval criteria for certain geographic areas to improve profitability metrics, inadvertently creating discriminatory patterns that conflict with fair lending principles.| Contamination Risk Negative influence from unverified external data or interactions with compromised systems. A customer service AI agent might adopt inappropriate language patterns after interacting with compromised chatbots or ingesting biased social media data during routine updates. Addressing these risks requires a fundamental shift in mindset—from reactive control to proactive risk mitigation.   Evolving GRC Programs for Agentic AI To govern agentic AI effectively, organizations need forward-thinking, adaptive approaches to GRC. Here are actionable strategies for managing the risks associated with autonomous AI behavior: Adaptive Governance Frameworks Traditional rule-based governance must evolve into principles-based frameworks. By establishing operational boundaries rather than rigid rules, businesses can accommodate the flexibility required for agentic AI's evolving capabilities. Behavioral Risk Assessment Organizations must develop tools and methodologies to monitor autonomous AI behavior patterns in real-time. This includes detecting anomalies, testing decision pathways, and analyzing how systems learn and adapt over time. Enhanced Oversight and Explainability Complete human oversight of every AI decision is impractical. However, explainable AI (XAI) and "human-in-the-loop" systems can ensure transparency during critical decision-making processes while maintaining robust audit trails. Unified GRC Platforms Modern AI governance requires enterprise-wide visibility. Unified platforms eliminate disconnected risk silos, enabling teams to monitor and respond to complex, interconnected risks in real time. This integration provides leaders with a holistic view of their organization's risk landscape. Building a Culture of Responsible AI Agentic AI must be treated not merely as a tool, but as an active participant in the enterprise ecosystem. Fostering a culture of responsible AI means embedding ethical awareness into every stage of the AI lifecycle—from initial development through deployment and ongoing oversight.   Why Agentic AI Governance Is a Competitive Imperative Agentic AI offers enormous potential for enterprises to innovate and streamline operations. However, this capability comes with equally high stakes. A poorly governed agentic AI system could lead to ethical scandals, compliance failures, or catastrophic operational breakdowns that damage both reputation and bottom line. Risk and compliance managers in large enterprise organizations cannot afford to delay action. By transitioning from static, reactive oversight to proactive and adaptive GRC paradigms, businesses can not only mitigate emerging risks but also unlock the full transformative value of agentic AI. The organizations that master AI governance today will be the ones that maintain competitive advantages tomorrow, while those that delay may find themselves struggling to catch up in an increasingly autonomous world.   Take the Next Step with Archer Archer stands at the forefront of enabling enterprises to evolve their GRC programs for the AI era. Our platform integrates advanced risk management tools designed to give organizations the visibility, accountability, and insights needed to confidently govern agentic AI systems. If your risk management strategy feels unprepared for AI's growing autonomy, now is the time to act. Contact Archer to learn how we can help you create an adaptive, intelligent, and ethical GRC program that grows with your enterprise.

Government agencies operate in one of the most demanding regulatory environments, managing thousands of obligations and responding to a steady stream of new alerts every day. Traditional compliance methods relying on spreadsheets, manual workflows, and siloed systems are buckling under this pressure. The result? Higher costs, inefficiencies, and increased exposure to compliance failures. With heightened regulatory activity on the horizon, the need for a smarter, more agile approach is no longer optional; it’s essential. AI Is Redefining What’s Possible for Compliance Teams AI-powered compliance solutions act as a force multiplier. These tools reduce the time and effort required to interpret and implement regulatory changes by: Automatically filtering out irrelevant alerts Summarizing complex legal language into actionable insights Extracting obligations directly from dense regulatory texts What once took hours of manual review can now be completed in minutes, without sacrificing accuracy, thanks to expert oversight and machine learning validation. Moving Beyond Change Tracking: A Lifecycle Approach Compliance isn’t just about staying current with updates—it’s about managing the full lifecycle of regulatory change. AI links regulatory updates to policies, controls, and audit trails, giving agencies full visibility across their compliance ecosystem. These capabilities help agencies: Identify gaps or inconsistencies in controls Generate automated change requests Proactively recommend policy and process updates From Reactive to Proactive Compliance AI empowers government agencies to move from reacting to regulations to anticipating them. With real-time insights and automated impact analysis, compliance teams can respond faster, make informed decisions, and deliver services with greater confidence. Key benefits include: Lower compliance-related costs Improved operational efficiency Better alignment with shifting mandates Increased public trust through greater transparency and accountability The Path Forward The future of government compliance is not just digital—it’s intelligent. By embracing AI-powered compliance tools now, agencies can build a foundation for resilient, scalable, and forward-thinking regulatory management. Learn more about AI-Powered Compliance Solutions Watch the webinar "Archer Evolv Compliance"  to learn more about how AI-powered compliance solutions can transform your agency's regulatory management approach Dive into the solution brief  to see how Archer Evolv™ transforms compliance into a smarter, more strategic function.

There are several key questions to ask in evaluating how well the content and associated documentation is managed for your use cases (like policy management). Is your change management program well designed? How would you demonstrate that to a stakeholder or outside party? Is the program applied earnestly / in good faith? How do you report on the results of the work done? The Archer Document Governance solution provides tools to manage your policy management’s critical documentation and help strengthen your program around these questions. 1: Key elements to a well-designed program: control and collaboration Policy programs are dynamic, with ongoing updates needed to keep policies and procedures current. A well-designed program will have both the agility and the control needed for ongoing change management. Archer Document Governance can help provide the agility and control you need through: Enabling simultaneous collaboration on documentation changes – no need to lose time emailing versions back and forth or risking lock-out of a collaborator from a shared network file Making teams aware of changes in the approval chain for the documentation they manage Providing a real-time view to where a document may be delayed in the change management process Documenting redlined changes for every published version Enabling quick response to audit inquiries 2. Enabling a strong culture of discipline: reinforcing the positive, removing the barriers In tandem with your leadership communications and targeted performance indicators, the right tool can help simplify and demonstrate diligent application of your policy management program. Archer Document Governance can support your culture of execution through how you manage the creation, governance, and publication of your program’s mission-critical documentation. Document Governance helps by: Simplifying through standardizing the creation, management, and distribution of policies and procedures Configuring your governance workflows and providing transparency into the process Accelerating the review and sign-off of documentation changes Serving as a single system of record for your documentation 3. Demonstrating program results Monitoring and reporting on the results of your policy management program takes both quantitative and qualitative measurements. Archer Document Governance can help you track and demonstrate program results through: Facilitating internal and external audits, providing detailed change logs, and redline comparisons for evidence across published versions Detailed management reporting, showing everything from change management cycle times to analysis where approvals get delayed by document type and team Contact us to speak to an Archer expert about how Archer Document Governance can support your program goals.

Organizations across the world continue to deal with the significant impacts of a global financial crisis, a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, increasing cyberattacks and more. While many have relied on traditional business recovery to withstand these and other factors, this confluence of threats has shown that disruption can be prolonged and evolving. The paradigm for has shifted from ‘if’ disruption will occur to ‘when’ it will occur. Traditional approaches to recovering after disruption are vital -- but they are no longer enough. Organizations need to ask: Are we proactively dealing with threats and risks? What do we need to do to build resilience? How do we know when we’re resilient enough? There are no quick or easy answers, but there are important steps your organization must take. Focus on your highest priorities. The organization should be building resilience into what enables them to achieve their strategic and operating objectives. This includes producing and offering their products and services to end customers, complying with regulations, satisfying investors, etc. The business impact analyses (BIA) is the best way to do that. However, traditional BIA approaches are often focused on the organization’s internal business processes, which is only part of the dependencies or value chain that produces the end product or service. A question to ask is, will this traditional approach help build resilience into all that is needed to produce that that product and achieve our strategic and operating objectives? A better focus for the BIA might be to identify the organization’s most important product and services offered to customers, and to make that supporting value chain, including internal business processes, systems, people, facilities, and third parties resilient. Identify risks and threats that could impact your organization and the right mix of mitigation and response to reduce the impacts. Half of the equation to building a resilient organization is being prepared for what may come. The first half is identifying the threats (known and unknown) and mitigating the risks they pose to your organization. This is done by identifying likely and plausible threats and scenarios that could impact your organization, assessing their risk, then implementing the best mix of preventive and reactive measures to mitigate the risk to within your organization’s risk tolerance. Once your measures are in place a vital step is to test them to determine how well they actually work to reduce the residual impacts to your organization. Measure and monitor your progress in building resilience. The question mentioned at the beginning of this blog - How do we know when we’re resilient enough – is an important one. I’m not sure an organization can be “too resilient” but I do know an organization can be not resilient enough. The answer only comes once you have set goals appropriate for your organization relative to its resilience and have metrics in place that allow you to measure and monitor status and progress. Examples include quantitative and qualitative impact tolerances, recovery time objectives, recovery point objectives, and residual risk compared to your risk appetite. These goals must also be aligned to your business goals. Once these resilience goals are set, it’s vital to test your capabilities, evaluate your responses in real situations, address gaps identified along the way, and continue to measure and improve. Interested in learning more? Register for our March 1 at 2:00pm Eastern webinar, How to Build Business Resilience Beyond Recovery , and check out Archer Business Resiliency .