GLBA compliance software for FTC Safeguards Rule compliance at CPA firms, tax preparers, auto dealers and mortgage brokers

GLBA compliance software helps a financial institution run the information security program required by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Safeguards Rule. It keeps the written risk assessment, safeguards, testing schedule, service provider reviews and the annual board report in one dated record with owners, so the program keeps running and can be shown to regulators, partners and insurers.

Non-bank financial institutions under FTC jurisdiction, which include CPA firms and tax preparers, auto dealers that arrange or extend financing, mortgage brokers and lenders, payday and installment lenders, collection agencies, and many fintechs. Banks and credit unions follow their own regulators' versions of the GLBA safeguards requirements instead.

The rule lists nine elements in 16 CFR 314.4: designate a Qualified Individual, base the program on a written risk assessment, implement safeguards such as access controls, encryption and MFA, test or monitor them, train staff, oversee service providers, keep the program current, have a written incident response plan, and report to the board at least annually. Section 314.4(j) adds FTC breach notification.

At least once a year, plus a vulnerability assessment at least every six months, unless you have effective continuous monitoring that detects changes creating vulnerabilities. You also reassess after material changes to operations or systems. In Complies both are recurring obligations, and the test report is attached as evidence when it arrives.

Yes, with a partial exemption. Firms that maintain customer information on fewer than 5,000 consumers are exempt from the written risk assessment, the continuous monitoring or testing requirement, the written incident response plan and the annual board report. They still need a Qualified Individual, safeguards, training and service provider oversight.

When a notification event involves the information of at least 500 consumers, you must notify the FTC as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after discovery, using the form on ftc.gov. A notification event is unauthorized acquisition of unencrypted customer information. The requirement took effect in May 2024.

Complies publishes $47, $119 and $299 a month billed yearly, with the risk register and vendor due diligence from $119. Enterprise tools such as Isora GRC, LogicManager and Apptega are quote-only. A template written plan costs around $999, and managed IT bundles for small firms run roughly $125 to $150 per user a month.

No. The written information security plan is required, but the rule also requires the safeguards to operate, be tested, be reviewed with service providers and be reported on. A plan with no dated evidence of scans, reviews or training is the most common gap in small firms. Software keeps that evidence next to the plan.

For a firm of 5 to 50 people, pick a tool that keeps recurring reviews, vendor oversight and the risk assessment in one record at a price the partners can approve without a procurement cycle. Complies publishes its price and starts at $47 a month. Pair it with an IT provider that handles MFA, patching and scanning.

Yes. On Growth, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS run on one cross-mapped control set, and your Safeguards obligations sit alongside them. On Scale, the Safeguards Rule becomes its own framework. An access review or vendor review recorded once counts wherever it applies.