Benchmarking SMB Compliance – Turning Data Into Direction

Data can be one of the most potent tools in compliance – if you know how to use it. For small and mid-sized businesses, benchmarking transforms raw numbers into key performance indicators that guide priorities, strengthen budgets, and demonstrate impact.

In the Benchmarking SMB Compliance session of the Fall into Compliance series, Anders Olson, Isabella Oakes and Rebecca Walker unpacked new findings from the 2025 State of Risk & Compliance Report and the Hotline Benchmark Report. Their conversation centered on how smaller organizations can use data to build maturity – one step and one metric at a time.

The big takeaway: only 17% of SMBs consider their compliance programs "optimized." But that number isn't discouraging. It's an opportunity.