Traditional audit samples a period after it ends and relies on the operator's own records. Three alternatives extend it. Continuous control monitoring (Vanta, Drata, Secureframe) tests controls automatically but collects mostly infrastructure signals. Independent algorithmic audit and assurance (specialist AI audit firms, bias and model audits) brings outside expertise but remains point-in-time. Continuous execution evidence certifies every governed run as it happens, so sampling draws from tamper-evident artifacts rather than editable logs. NexArt implements the third: Certified Execution Records that an auditor can verify independently, which makes the audit itself cheaper because the evidence no longer depends on trusting the operator's systems.
Category map
These categories are complementary rather than competing. Most enterprise stacks need more than one of them, and the common mistake is assuming one category covers another.
| Category | Representative tools | What it covers | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional periodic audit | SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001 and 42001 certification audits, internal audit programmes | Independent opinion on control design and operating effectiveness across a period | Retrospective and sample-based. The evidence sampled is usually operator-authored and mutable. |
| Continuous control monitoring | Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, GRC automation suites | Automated, ongoing checks against control definitions with evidence collection | Collectors target infrastructure and process. AI execution records are outside the default collector set. |
| Independent algorithmic audit and assurance | Specialist AI audit and assurance firms, bias and model audits, conformity assessment bodies | Expert review of model behaviour, fairness, documentation, and governance maturity | Point-in-time and dependent on what the operator can produce about past runs. |
| Continuous execution evidence | NexArt Certified Execution Records and Project Bundles | Every governed run certified at execution time, independently signed, publicly timestamped, verifiable offline | Not an audit opinion, a certification, or an assessment of model quality or fairness. |
Where NexArt fits
NexArt changes the evidence, not the auditor. When each governed execution emits a Certified Execution Record sealed with a canonical SHA-256 hash, an Ed25519 attestation from the NexArt attestation node, and an RFC 3161 timestamp issued via DigiCert, an auditor can select any record and check it offline against the published key. That removes the usual dependency on operator-controlled log stores, shortens evidence-gathering, and means the population being sampled is tamper-evident rather than editable.
What NexArt does not cover
NexArt is not an auditor and does not issue audit opinions, certifications, or conformity assessments, and it does not replace SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, or ISO/IEC 42001 work. It produces execution evidence that audit and assurance activities can rely on. Verification proves integrity, not correctness or compliance.
What auditors ask for that logs cannot supply
Auditors want artifacts, not narratives: which model ran, with what parameters and context, at what time, and proof the record has not been altered since. Continuous execution evidence produces exactly that artifact at the moment it can still be produced.
Related questions
Does certified execution evidence replace an audit?
No. It replaces weak evidence inside an audit. The auditor still forms the opinion; certification changes what they are testing from self-reported logs to independently verifiable records.
Can we use this to reduce audit effort?
Usually the effect is on evidence gathering: records are portable, self-verifying, and do not require access to internal systems or a platform account to check.
Does NexArt hold SOC 2 itself?
See the trust center for NexArt's current security posture. Note that CER verification is designed not to depend on trusting NexArt: the check is over a public key, a hash, and a timestamp.