A-SCEND: efficient
audit management

Stop reinventing the wheel every cycle

Audits done right don’t come from experts alone, or from software alone. They come from experienced audit teams backed by technology that enforces consistency, strengthens audit quality, and drives efficiency — every cycle, every framework, every year.

SAVED PER FRAMEWORK
WITH AI EVIDENCE MATCHING

15 hours

AUDITS CONDUCTED

36,000+

PIECES OF EVIDENCE

4 Million

A BETTER WAY TO AUDIT

Audit teams face the same challenges every year: scattered evidence, multiple frameworks, and audits that feel like starting from scratch.

A-SCEND changes that. It connects stakeholders, centralizes evidence, reduces redundant requests across frameworks, and keeps auditors and clients aligned, improving efficiency and consistency from audit prep to report.

THE PLATFORM

AI backed by the expertise of 36k+ audits

Purpose‑built by auditors, A‑SCEND is designed to help teams save meaningful time, especially during audit preparation, without compromising rigor. The platform seamlessly combines technology and human expertise across the entire audit lifecycle. We help you confidently navigate three major components of compliance: intelligence, execution and expansion.

Audit intelligence

Know what’s ready – before the audit begins

A-SCEND evaluates your evidence against audit intent before auditors review it. Get clear insight into coverage and gaps with explanations that help teams strengthen submissions upfront.

Easily leverage existing evidence for additional frameworks helping you reduce prep work and save an average of 15 hours per framework.

Audit execution

Run audits with greater efficiency and clarity

Manage requests, submit evidence, and communicate with your auditor in one place. Prior-year evidence rolls forward automatically, progress is visible in real time, and stakeholders stay aligned without endless follow-ups.

Audit expansion

Scale compliance without starting over

Growing into new markets or frameworks shouldn’t mean rebuilding your audit from scratch. A-SCEND shows how your existing evidence maps to new services and frameworks, so you can expand confidently without multiplying effort.

Reuse what already works, close only what’s missing, and accelerate new audits as your compliance program grows.

Work where you already work

A-SCEND meets teams where they are. Keep working in your preferred GRC platform while our auditors work efficiently behind the scenes. No forced tool changes, no workflow disruption, just smoother collaboration and faster progress across every engagement.

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Save time and streamline multiple frameworks

Upload evidence once and apply it across SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and more. A-SCEND identifies overlap, maps controls automatically, and highlights what's missing, reducing duplicative requests and accelerating multi-framework audits without added meetings or manual effort.

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Built for rigor you can stand behind

A-SCEND was built to accelerate audit preparation, but auditors remain accountable for every decision. A-SCEND enforces consistency, precision, and documentation standards so teams can move faster without sacrificing audit quality or confidence in the final report.

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Accelerate audits with responsible AI

A-SCEND uses Al to enhance audit efficiency, not replace judgment. EvidencelQ helps surface gaps early, improve first-pass evidence quality, and reduce rework, while A-LIGN auditors stay fully in control. Al features can be toggled on or off, giving customers transparency, flexibility, and trust at every step.

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evidence records

audits completed

36k

reduction in overall audit preparation effort for

25%

saved per framework with AI evidence matching

15hr

A-SCEND's centralized evidence collection, control mapping, and auditor communication eliminated manual tracking and back-and-forth emails. This streamlined workflow reduced evidence gathering and validation time by ~30–40%, improved visibility on audit status in real time, and cut overall audit preparation effort by ~25%.

Audit & Compliance Specialist

Ciro Peña

Teleperformance

A-SCEND was a game changer because it allowed me to easily and securely upload evidence, add comments, stay organized with a ‘to-do’ list, keep stakeholders up to date on progress, and better manage the workload.

Read case study

Security & Compliance Officer

Dave Palmer

Metapraxis

We reduced duplicative effort by reusing the same evidence across frameworks. The A-SCEND workflow removed back-and-forth and made multi-frameworks cycles manageable.

Privacy Manager

mid-market IT company

What stands out most about A-SCEND is the amount of time it saves our team. A-SCEND is truly impressive, and I can’t emphasize its value enough.

Chief Information Officer

John McDowell

Saint Francis Ministries

A-SCEND has continued to make this a repeatable, predictable, and reasonable process.

Director, Security Operations

Andrew Weaver

Park Place Technologies

Tailored guidance from MSPs
GRC platform integration
Policy & procedure management
Control mapping & gap analysis

Cross-framework evidence matching
Evidence evaluation before fieldwork
Request deduplication
Real-time progress visibility

Auditor review & validation
Final report delivery
Findings & remediation guidance
Certification issuance

Secure certification sharing
Automated questionnaire responses
Compliance proof on demand

Frequently Asked Questions

Is A-SCEND included with my A-LIGN audit?

Yes. A-SCEND is included with applicable A-LIGN frameworks, it’s not sold as a standalone platform fee. You get the full benefit of the technology as part of your audit engagement.

Does A-SCEND replace my auditor?

No. A-SCEND is designed to support consistent audit rigor and client efficiency, not replace auditor judgment. Your dedicated A-LIGN auditor remains at the center of every engagement. The platform handles the logistics, organization, and evidence workflow so your auditor can focus on the work that actually requires expertise.

We’re currently with another auditor. What does switching to A-LIGN look like?

A-SCEND includes a Seamless Transition feature that analyzes legacy audit data and maps it to your new information request list, significantly reducing the manual effort of migrating from a prior auditor. The goal is to make sure you don’t lose the historical context you’ve built, and that your first audit with A-LIGN starts with continuity, not from scratch.

What frameworks does A-SCEND support?

A-SCEND supports a wide range of A-LIGN audit services, including SOC 2, SOC 1, ISO 27001, HITRUST, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, and others. The platform’s multi-framework evidence mapping is particularly valuable for organizations pursuing more than one certification at a time.

What size organizations does A-SCEND work for?

A-SCEND is built to scale from fast-growing startups to large global enterprises. With 5,000+ customers and 29,000+ active users on the platform, it’s designed to handle a wide range of scope, complexity, and audit volume.

We already use Vanta (or Drata, or Secureframe). Do we have to give that up?

No. A-SCEND integrates with the leading GRC platforms so you can continue working in the tools your team already relies on. Vanta integration is live today; Drata integration is in progress. There is also an open API connector for teams that want to integrate additional tools through their own development resources.

What’s the difference between A-SCEND and a GRC tool?

GRC tools are generally built for evidence collection and readiness management. A-SCEND is purpose-built for audit execution — the phase where evidence gets reviewed, clarified, deduplicated across frameworks, and driven through to a final report with a dedicated auditor. They serve different parts of the compliance lifecycle and work well together.

What other tools does A-SCEND integrate with?

In addition to GRC platforms like Vanta and Drata, A-SCEND integrates with major cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as security awareness tools like KnowBe4. Integrations are prioritized to serve the tools used by the majority of A-LIGN’s client base.

I have concerns about AI in audits. Can I control how it’s used?

Yes. A-SCEND gives clients the ability to toggle AI features on or off. A-LIGN auditors remain in the loop at every step — AI is used to enhance efficiency and flag issues early, not to make audit determinations. This is a meaningful differentiator: most audit management tools don’t give clients that level of control or transparency over how AI is applied.

Is A-SCEND secure?

Yes. A-SCEND has achieved FedRAMP 20x Low authorization — making A-LIGN one of the only top-tier Third-Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs) with a FedRAMP-authorized audit management platform. The platform is built on Google Cloud, includes two-factor authentication and database encryption, and A-LIGN maintains its own independent SOC 2 Type 2 report.

SOC Assessments

ISO Certifications

Federal Assessments

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Cybersecurity

Privacy

PCI Assessments

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A-SCEND: efficient audit management