Why File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) Is a Must for Compliance — And How to Pick the Right Solution

As Fortra’s new File Integrity Monitoring Buyer’s Guide states, “What was once a security control for simple file changes now ensures integrity across organizations’ entire systems.” The landscape has evolved significantly since Fortra’s Tripwire introduced file integrity monitoring (FIM) over twenty years ago.

But that’s exactly why the industry is due for a new look at what makes a FIM solution unique in 2025 — and what you should expect your FIM provider to bring to the table.

What Is File Integrity Monitoring?

File integrity monitoring was originally developed as a way to make sure nobody had tampered with your sensitive files. For some FIM vendors, it may still be just that.

Now, however, file integrity monitoring transcends files alone and provides a way to ensure the integrity of:

• A network device
• A databaseever
• A server

And, of course, your files.

Why Is File Integrity Monitoring Relevant (Especially) in 2025?

File integrity monitoring is more relevant this year than it has ever been, and the trend is set to continue.

At its core, FIM detects unwanted changes. Think of how many moving parts there are in a modern enterprise today, or a digitized organization of any size. People are accessing the cloud and altering what’s inside, employees are downloading apps and files and SaaS tools, users are digging into storage spaces, and attackers are more powerful than ever thanks to AI.

Last year, over 40,000 new CVEs were discovered, and most companies patched at least some. But maybe not more than some. And every other month, it seems new AI—infused security tools are being introduced into old security stacks.

In other words, a lot is changing — and now, more than ever. In addition, new compliance changes are on the rise and have been for some time. Following the advent of generative AI (and AI in all its forms), frameworks have been adjusting to catch up, and they’ll keep changing as time goes on.

All these external alterations need to line up with internal adjustments — i.e., your internal changes can never outstrip externally changing compliance regulations — and that is a very difficult line to walk.

Enter: file integrity monitoring.

What Should Your FIM Solution Do?

In 2025, you need a FIM solution that “understands” all the ways in which your services and systems and configurations can change — and not for the better.

The point is not to create more work, but to create more resilience without too much more of an investment than you’re putting out now. When searching for a FIM platform in 2025, organizations should consider something that:

1. Can spot changes in real time
2. Automatically analyzes and prioritizes each detected change for you
3. Reconciles authorized versus unauthorized changes
4. Can tell you if a change put you outside of compliance boundaries
5. Gives you the details you need about the change to be able to remediate it if necessary
6. Integrates with other solutions in your stack

Technical FIM Product Requirements — And Beyond

In Fortra’s FIM Buyer’s Guide, you’ll be able to research all the other product requirements necessary to get the full value out of your FIM solution.

Those include detailed technical checklists for:

• Integrity verification
• Operational requirements
• Security and control requirements
• Enterprise management integration requirements
• Reporting and alerting requirements

You’ll also find the intersection between integrity and compliance monitoring — something alluded to earlier and fully realized by the combination of the right solutions. 

As stated in the guide, “By proactively identifying misconfiguration risks and providing prescriptive remediation guidance, policy compliance management enables a rapid return to a known and trusted state.”

Fortra’s Unique Contribution to FIM

Although FIM has evolved dramatically over the years, Fortra has maintained a unique hold on the essential essence of a file integrity monitoring solution.

Find out who made the change, when, where, how, and how those changes are going to have repercussions throughout unforeseen parts of your enterprise. Fortra’s award-winning FIM solutions have been trusted by thousands of organizations throughout the world and can still deliver advanced use cases unmatched by any other vendor.

No more surprises. The only thing constant in a modern environment is change, and those changes are only going to swing wider as things progress. Get ahead of them now and push the “set and forget” button on regulatory compliance as well.

Things are too volatile to trust your overwhelmed SOC to do half as much as automated FIM solutions are doing for their customers — or your competitors. Stay ahead of changes, and ahead of the pack, by downloading Fortra’s File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) Buyer’s Guide to find your FIM solution.