63% of Compliance Teams Suffer from “Efficiency Illusion,” Leading to Delays and Cost Overruns Thoropass Research: 63% of Compliance Teams Suffer from “Efficiency Illusion,” Leading to Delays and Cost Overruns Data reveals the hidden costs of overconfidence in the IT audit process: increased spend and friction with external consultants NEW YORK SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 – Nearly nine in 10 organizations rate their IT audit processes as highly efficient—yet almost two-thirds still experience costly delays and overruns. According to new research from Thoropass, the modern alternative to legacy IT security auditors, this “efficiency illusion” creates risk, wasted spend, and ongoing friction between IT and audit teams. The survey found that organizations rating their audit processes as “efficient” are just as likely to face delays and higher costs as those who consider their processes inefficient. Almost half of organizations also cited their relationships with external IT audit partners as the biggest challenge they face. High costs and communication challenges with external auditors were listed among the leading headaches. Key findings from the survey include: 89% of respondents rate their IT audit processes a 4 or 5 for efficiency 63% of those still report delays or higher compliance costs—the same rate as less efficient teams 47% cite the cost of external auditors as their top challenge 36% struggle with company-auditor communications; 35% with educating auditors on their business and technology 84% expect compliance and audit budgets to rise in 2026; 54% project increases of more than 10% 62% plan to boost investment in automation and AI adoption next year “This ‘efficiency illusion’ prevents organizations from optimizing their IT audit processes—nearly two-thirds overestimate their effectiveness,” said Eva Pittas, President and Chief Customer Officer at Thoropass. “These blind spots often prevent leaders from identifying the root causes of their cost and process inefficiencies. Almost half of organizations cite the high cost of external audit consultancies as their biggest challenge. Unless IT leaders rethink their audit strategy, costs will keep climbing while risks multiply. AI-assisted audits aren’t a futuristic vision—they’re becoming the only viable way for security teams to keep pace with compliance demands without burning budgets or teams.” The online survey of 546 IT, infosec, and audit/compliance professionals was conducted by Centiment for Thoropass between June 25-30, 2025. For more information on the research and how Thoropass can streamline the audit process, download The Audit Gap Report: How InfoSec Teams Can Bridge the Divide Between Compliance and Audit. About ThoropassThoropass is the modern alternative to legacy security auditors, combining enterprise-level rigor with AI-powered automation to deliver simply better audits. Our accredited audit team brings deep compliance expertise while our unified platform eliminates black-box workflows and inefficiencies. We manage complexity at scale—running single audit cycles across SOC 2, ISO, PCI, HITRUST, and 30+ more frameworks. With AI-powered evidence collection, real-time auditor collaboration, and transparent status tracking, Thoropass reduces audit cycles, eliminates vendor sprawl, and delivers confidence across frameworks, products, and geographies.
