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RSA Archer vs SAP BusinessObjects GRC comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

RSA Archer
Ranking in GRC
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
IT Governance (1st), IT Vendor Risk Management (4th)
SAP BusinessObjects GRC
Ranking in GRC
15th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Continuous Controls Monitoring (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the GRC category, the mindshare of RSA Archer is 16.3%, up from 16.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP BusinessObjects GRC is 1.9%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
GRC
 

Featured Reviews

IMRAN ALMARZOOQI - PeerSpot reviewer
Automates compliance management effectively but needs improved interface and dashboards
The tool basically automates whatever processes you already have, so I cannot specify improvements in that regard. However, my main issue with Archer is the graphics. The graphics have always been lacking. I always need to depend on another tool to read information from Archer to have better dashboards. It is like using Linux, and it has a Linux mindset and interface. I want to use Archer for top management and CEOs, but it looks too technical, and the dashboards are not really friendly. They are bulky, like opening an old Nintendo system from nineteen-ninety. The management agrees that Archer lacks in terms of presentation and dashboarding. It is complex, not user-friendly, and bulky. The interface just looks old.
Osama Saleh - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides a lot of useful information and helps in managing risks and controls
BusinessObjects is very dated. It is not that user-friendly. It should be made more user-friendly. In addition, if they could make predictive analytics an embedded part of it where people get to know what is there to offer, it would be great. They need to invest heavily in business planning and consolidation. They have a BPC tool, which is known for planning and consolidation, but its implementation consumes a lot of effort. It is not that easy to implement. It would be better if they come up with a solution that is more user-friendly and easy to integrate so that we can have multiple consolidations or versions.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"From my perspective as a customer and end user, RSA is about the look and feel."
"It is a very friendly tool. We can easily understand what is going on inside the tool. I like this tool. We can work with the tool for the ERP platform. We can create automated applications based on the requirements."
"The integrated data model of a one-to-many/many-to-one relationship is quite useful."
"The most valuable features of RSA Archer are the asset management, risk management, and vendor management."
"Risk management is one of the most impressive features of Archer, especially with the recent restructuring of the user interface."
"Enables development of any application, automation of any workflow including the GRC work processes."
"Archer has simplified our security audits. It's made it easier to raise and trigger questionnaires to customers."
"The product is very flexible."
"We have enterprise clients for the product."
"It is wonderful from the control perspective. The GRC tools help you in knowing what are the risk controls, how to mitigate risks, and how to ensure that there are no conflicts between the roles. From the user perspective, you get to know what are the permission risks and access risks. You get a lot of useful information."
"The tool helps create reports for projects, including the creation of any ad-hoc reports"
"Initial setup was straightforward. It took maybe one week."
"The stability of SAP BusinessObjects GRC is acceptable."
"The best features are the scalability and flexibility to implement applications on top of the BW."
 

Cons

"The product is expensive."
"A remaining area for improvement is integration. There should be built-in integration mechanisms, for example, for organizations switching from platforms like ServiceNow to Archer, instead of custom integrations for each client."
"It would be nice if RSA Archer featured more customization. When customers are updating, they should be notified whether certain updates are optional. The install screen should not proceed to the next page unless we make some selections about which updates we want to install."
"The user interface needs work. There are many small text boxes, like credit card size's boxes, where we need to input a lot of text. You can't see what you're typing beyond the tiny window, so you have to scroll or type elsewhere and copy-paste it. It's very inconvenient."
"Some of the error reporting isn't very clear. When you're looking for information on error codes, you got to do a lot of digging."
"Initially, technical support is a little weak, and I would rate it six out of ten. The issue with initial support is that new engineers are often not as experienced."
"There are certain restrictions on API integrations, and it is not simple or straightforward."
"I find the tech support to be inadequately knowledgeable."
"An additional feature I would like to see is the option to add wait time and integrate sources in wait time."
"I am working on features that are not functioning as expected, which creates significant difficulties in management."
"We cannot actively log in to the system. It should also improve support."
"Technical support could be better and faster."
"I think the old system is better than the new one. From an improvement perspective, the tool needs to ensure that the new technologies it offers are better than the old ones."
"BusinessObjects is very dated. It is not that user-friendly. It should be made more user-friendly. In addition, if they could make predictive analytics an embedded part of it where people get to know what is there to offer, it would be great."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"RSA Archer's price is justifiable and not as expensive, compared to ServiceNow. I have heard that the licensing for ServiceNow is much more expensive. I'm unaware whether there are any additional costs after licensing fees."
"I am not sure about other companies, but it's quite expensive."
"At the higher end of the price scale, but provides better, more accessible functionality and customization than cheaper products."
"The solution's price should be reduced. You only have to pay the license and there are no additional fees."
"Fairly highly-priced, especially for smaller companies."
"The license is costly for the solution, but the remaining set up and maintenance is quite cheaper."
"I am not 100% familiar with that, especially with their new model. I just know that the way they've licensed per user to scale is good."
"The solution is not at all a cheap product."
"There is a yearly licensing cost. I would rate their pricing 4 out of 5."
"SAP BusinessObjects GRC is expensive."
"The license is costly."
"The product's licensing costs involve a one-time purchase. The tool also allows others to make annual payments towards the licensing charges of the product."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
21%
Educational Organization
11%
Insurance Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about RSA Archer?
It has various valuable features. For example, showing us if a control aligns with specific standards or frameworks helps us understand it better and verify its compliance.
What needs improvement with RSA Archer?
If the user needs to fill data, they need to go to one page and then to the next page if they can reduce the number of clicks to perform some activities and would like RSA to improve in this area. ...
What is your primary use case for RSA Archer?
I perform all of our information security management governance and risk -related activities through Archer. My organization manages all types of audits and Enterprise risk activities using Archer.
What do you like most about SAP BusinessObjects GRC?
The tool helps create reports for projects, including the creation of any ad-hoc reports
What needs improvement with SAP BusinessObjects GRC?
There isn't anything in particular that my company doesn't like about the product. It is an old system that is currently being used by its users, which works in areas like prompts and reports. I th...
What advice do you have for others considering SAP BusinessObjects GRC?
My company is in touch with the vendor who takes care of the maintenance phase of the solution. I cannot recommend the product to other organizations. Other organizations can choose from the many t...
 

Also Known As

Archer
BusinessObjects GRC
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

T-Systems, Bridge Point, Equifax, First Data, Global Imaging Company, Manulife Financial
INEOS Melamines GmbH, Banco Galicia
Find out what your peers are saying about RSA Archer vs. SAP BusinessObjects GRC and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
862,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.