European Alternatives to Archer
Looking for a European alternative to Archer? Archer is a GRC platform run by Archer Technologies LLC, whose terms of use apply the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and whose privacy statement says personal data may be transferred outside the EEA, including to the United States. Archer shows no prices on its pricing page, which offers demo requests only.
The European GRC tools below come from vendors in Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK, from enterprise suites to open-source tools with published fees.
How we rank these tools — 4-step process
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1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA, the UK, Switzerland or Israel, and processes customer data in Europe or Israel. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
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2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
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Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. It never buys a good review: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
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12 European Alternatives to Archer
Corporater
Governance, performance, risk and compliance platform from Stavanger
CERRIX
Dutch GRC platform for banks, insurers and regulated firms
eramba
Open GRC with a free community edition and flat annual fees
Swiss GRC
Integrated GRC platform from Lucerne with unlimited users
GBTEC GRC Management
Risk, internal control and ISMS modules from Bochum
EGERIE
Cyber risk and compliance platform from Toulon
SureCloud
Modular GRC platform from London with three plan tiers
CISO Assistant
Open-source GRC from intuitem in Vélizy-Villacoublay
verinice
Open-source ISMS and GRC tool from SerNet in Göttingen
ISMS.online
ISO 27001 platform from Alliantist in Brighton
riskHive
Enterprise risk database and analysis tools from Nailsea
Proteus-Cyber
Data privacy management with vendor risk and control testing
Key takeaways
- Archer Technologies LLC is a United States company whose terms of use apply the law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- Archer's privacy statement (October 2023) allows transfers of personal data outside the EEA, including to the United States.
- The Archer pricing page showed no amounts on 4 November 2026, only requests for a demo.
- Corporater (Norway), CERRIX (Netherlands), GBTEC (Germany) and EGERIE (France) are the closest European enterprise suites to Archer.
- eramba and CISO Assistant publish prices, and CISO Assistant has a free self-hosted community edition under AGPLv3.
Why people leave Archer
Archer is a governance, risk and compliance platform sold by Archer Technologies LLC, a United States company. Its navigation lists a long set of products: Evolv Foundation, Evolv Compliance, Evolv Risk, enterprise and operational risk, risk quantification, third-party governance, audit management, IT and security risk, ESG management and AI governance. Large enterprise risk, compliance and audit teams are its audience, and its own case study shows a customer that has run GRC on Archer for 14 years.
The contract side is what makes European buyers look elsewhere. Archer's terms of use apply the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to any dispute. Its privacy statement, last updated in October 2023, says personal data may be transferred outside the EEA, including to the United States. For SaaS customers the statement adds that Archer processes data purely on behalf of the customer, so the real terms sit in the customer contract that you would negotiate.
Price and fit are the other two reasons. The Archer pricing page shows no amounts and sends every visitor to a demo request, so budgeting starts with a sales call. And a platform built for a global enterprise with a dozen product areas is often more than a mid-sized European firm wants to configure, staff and pay for when its actual need is a risk register, a control library and DORA or NIS2 evidence.
- A Massachusetts contract and transfers to the United States Archer's terms of use name Archer Technologies LLC and apply Massachusetts law to disputes about the site and its content. The privacy statement allows transfers of personal data outside the EEA, including to the United States. GRC data is sensitive by nature: it lists your risks, control failures and audit findings. A European GRC vendor puts that data under EU or EEA contract law and a supervisory authority you can write to.
- No price on the pricing page On 4 November 2026 the Archer pricing page showed demo-request buttons and no amounts. That is normal for enterprise GRC, but it means you cannot compare Archer with a flat fee. Several European tools do publish numbers: eramba lists EUR 2,500 a year on-premises, CISO Assistant lists EUR 39 per contributor per month, and SureCloud at least explains that plans are not priced per seat.
- A suite sized for the global enterprise Archer organises its offer into Evolv Foundation, Compliance, AI Compliance, Risk and AI Operators, plus separate pages for risk quantification, operational resilience, RMIS, ESG and audit. That breadth is a strength for a bank with a large risk office. A 200-person company that needs ISO 27001 evidence and a vendor register has to decide which of those pieces it is paying for, and what it is leaving unused.
- Regulation that now lives in Europe DORA and NIS2 changed what a European GRC buyer is asked about: ICT third-party registers, incident reporting, supervisory expectations in each member state. CERRIX monitors DNB and AFM sources, EGERIE lists SecNumCloud and DORA, and verinice maps BSI IT-Grundschutz. Archer lists a Regulatory Change Center, but its published pages do not show national European supervisors the way these vendors do.
What you have to replace, not just match
Replacing Archer means deciding which of its product areas you actually run. A company that uses Archer for the risk register and control library can move to a narrower tool. A company that connects Archer to audit, third-party governance and policy management has to replace each of those links, not just the main screen.
The pieces map to different European vendors. Enterprise risk, audit and ESG suites come from Corporater (Norway), GBTEC (Germany) and Swiss GRC. Banks and insurers look at CERRIX. Cyber risk quantification is the specialty of EGERIE, and Swiss GRC lists RiskQuant. Information security management for ISO 27001 sits with ISMS.online, verinice and CISO Assistant. Privacy-led programmes, with data mapping and DPIAs, sit with Proteus-Cyber.
The things that do not transfer automatically are the content and the people. Your Archer applications, questionnaires, control libraries and workflow rules were built for how Archer works, and they have to be rebuilt in the new tool. Budget the migration as a project with a data owner, not as an export file.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Corporater | Stavanger, Norway | Not shown on the pages we read; demo request only. | EEA, not EU (Norway) |
| #2 | CERRIX | The Hague, Netherlands | Not shown on the pages we read; demo booking only. | EU (Netherlands) |
| #3 | eramba | London, United Kingdom | Community free; Enterprise on-premises EUR 2,500/year; Enterprise SaaS EUR 5,000/year | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #4 | Swiss GRC | Lucerne, Switzerland | Not shown on the pages we read; demo request and free trial offered. | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #5 | GBTEC | Bochum, Germany | Not shown on the pages we read. | EU (Germany) |
| #6 | EGERIE | Toulon, France | Not shown on the pages we read; demo request only. | EU (France) |
| #7 | SureCloud | London, United Kingdom | Pricing guide on request. SureCloud says plans are priced on requirements, not users or seats; no amounts are shown. | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #8 | CISO Assistant | Vélizy-Villacoublay, France | Community free; Pro SaaS EUR 39 per contributor per month billed annually; Pro on-premises EUR 2,400 per instance per year (1-5 seats) | EU (France) |
| #9 | verinice | Göttingen, Germany | See website (cloud and on-premises shops, quote on request) | EU (Germany) |
| #10 | ISMS.online | Brighton, United Kingdom | Bespoke plans, quote on request | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #11 | riskHive | Nailsea, United Kingdom | Not shown on the pages we read; contact form only. | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #12 | Proteus-Cyber | London, United Kingdom | Not shown on the pages we read; demo request only. | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
How each alternative compares to Archer
Best for: Medium and large organisations that want risk, compliance and performance management in one platform
Corporater is the Archer alternative with the most similar shape: a platform for governance, performance, risk and compliance, with audit and ESG solutions on top. Corporater AS was founded in Stavanger in 2000. Its terms apply Norwegian law, whereas Archer's apply the law of Massachusetts.
Corporater describes a digital twin of the organisation, configurable workflows and an AI assistant. It integrates through Excel, CSV, SQL and web services. Its SaaS runs on AWS, and the region is not stated on the pages we read, so jurisdiction of the company improves, but the hosting question stays open.
What Corporater does better than Archer
- Norwegian company and Norwegian law in the terms against Massachusetts law
- Performance management sits in the same platform as risk
- SaaS, on-premise and public cloud deployment are all offered
- Integration through Excel, CSV, SQL and web services is listed
Where Corporater is a step down from Archer
- No public prices, the same demo-only route as Archer
- Norway is in the EEA but not the EU
- No analyst-report library or large user community comparable to Archer's
Standout against Archer. Corporater is the only tool here that places performance management inside the same platform as risk and compliance.
Best for: Dutch and European banks, insurers and regulated firms with their own risk and audit teams
CERRIX BV is based in The Hague and states that it serves more than 100 clients in over 20 countries; that count is a vendor statement. Its modules cover risk and controls, compliance, third parties, audit, incidents and processes. Against Archer, the contracting party is Dutch and the terms apply Dutch law.
The home page puts DORA and NIS2 first, and CERRIX lists regulatory monitoring for DNB, AFM and EU sources. That national angle is what Archer's pages do not show. The hosting location and the prices are not on the pages we read, and the product examples lean towards financial institutions.
What CERRIX does better than Archer
- Regulatory monitoring for DNB, AFM and EU sources is listed
- Dutch law and Dutch courts in the terms
- A Dutch contracting entity with a VAT number on the privacy statement
- DORA and NIS2 are front and centre on the home page
Where CERRIX is a step down from Archer
- Smaller reference base than a vendor with Gartner and Forrester reports
- Hosting location and prices are not stated
- Fewer examples outside financial services
Standout against Archer. CERRIX is the only tool here that lists Dutch supervisors by name in its regulatory monitoring.
Best for: Teams with in-house GRC skills that prefer a published annual fee over a sales quote
eramba is sold by Eramba LTD from London, with offices in London and Bratislava, and costs nothing in its community edition. The enterprise editions cost EUR 2,500 a year on-premises and EUR 5,000 a year as SaaS, with unlimited users. Archer's pricing page shows no amount at all.
The trade-off is effort. eramba collects less evidence automatically than a large suite and expects somebody who knows risk and control methodology. The SaaS offers EU or US hosting, the company is British, which means adequacy but not EEA membership, and the team is small next to Archer's.
What eramba does better than Archer
- Published flat prices and a free community edition
- Unlimited users on the enterprise editions
- EU hosting can be selected for SaaS
- Public forum and documentation
Where eramba is a step down from Archer
- Needs GRC expertise on your side to configure
- Less automated evidence collection than a large suite
- US hosting is also on offer, and the vendor is a small team
Standout against Archer. eramba is the only tool here whose entire price list fits in one sentence.
Best for: Organisations in Switzerland and DACH that want a wide module list without per-user licences
Swiss GRC AG in Lucerne lists risk management, risk quantification (RiskQuant), compliance, ISMS, third-party risk, internal controls, data protection, business continuity, internal audit, process management and contract management. That module list is close to Archer's, and the vendor states that user numbers are unlimited.
Swiss GRC says it was founded in 2016 and has roots in Swiss Infosec AG from 1989; both are vendor statements. It offers SaaS, private cloud and on-prem deployment, plus a free trial. Switzerland is outside the EU, the SaaS hosting location is not stated, and the privacy notice names US providers for website features.
What Swiss GRC does better than Archer
- A free trial and demo environment are offered
- Unlimited users are stated by the vendor
- Private cloud and on-prem deployment next to SaaS
- A Swiss commercial register entry is published in the imprint
Where Swiss GRC is a step down from Archer
- Switzerland is outside the EU, so check the data processing terms
- No prices and no hosting location on the pages we read
- Customer numbers are vendor statements
Standout against Archer. Swiss GRC is the only tool here that lists contract management next to risk quantification and internal audit.
Best for: Process, architecture and risk teams that want modeling and workflow in one German platform
GBTEC Software AG in Bochum started from process modeling and architecture, and its GRC modules grew out of that base. The brand was formerly BIC. The homepage says more than 1,200 customers use it. Against Archer, GBTEC begins with how work is done, then adds risks and controls to those processes.
A low-code Work Orchestrator builds workflows, and process mining modules are available. The pages we read show no prices, no free tier or trial, and no hosting region. GBTEC suits a team that already documents its processes; a team that wants only a risk register gets more tool than it needs.
What GBTEC does better than Archer
- Process design and architecture sit in the same platform as risk
- Low-code workflows through the Work Orchestrator
- A German contracting entity registered in Bochum
- Process mining modules are available
Where GBTEC is a step down from Archer
- No prices, trial or hosting region on the pages we read
- The BIC to GBTEC rename can make older references confusing
- The centre of gravity is processes, not audit or ESG
Standout against Archer. GBTEC is the only tool here that begins from process modeling and enterprise architecture.
Best for: French and European security teams that want cyber risk quantification with compliance
EGERIE SOFTWARE SAS in Toulon is a cyber GRC platform. It combines risk assessment, compliance, third-party management and financial quantification of cyber risk. The supported frameworks include ISO 27001, NIS 2, DORA, SecNumCloud and GDPR. Archer sells risk quantification too, but EGERIE makes it the centre of the product.
The legal notice publishes the trade register and VAT numbers, and the terms of sale cover EGERIE Risk Manager and EGERIE Privacy Manager. Delivery is SaaS or on-premises. The platform hosting location is not stated, the website itself is hosted by AWS, and two documents give different share capital figures.
What EGERIE does better than Archer
- French company with trade register and VAT numbers published
- SecNumCloud and DORA are among the supported frameworks
- Cyber risk is quantified in financial terms
- On-premises terms exist beside SaaS
Where EGERIE is a step down from Archer
- Focuses on cyber risk, with no separate audit or enterprise risk module
- Platform hosting is not stated and prices are not shown
- Share capital differs between the legal notice and the English terms
Standout against Archer. EGERIE is the only tool here that lists SecNumCloud as a supported framework.
Best for: UK and European teams that want a modular platform and a starter plan with a one-day setup
SureCloud Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 05703655 with a London office, and says it was founded in 2006. Its three plans are Assure, Automate and Orchestrate. Automate and Orchestrate allow unlimited named users, and each plan lists an implementation timeline, which the Archer pages we read do not list.
SureCloud says plans are priced on requirements and not on users or seats, but shows no amounts. The privacy statement says data may go to hosting providers in the UK, the EEA and the United States, and site terms name SureCloud Inc beside SureCloud Ltd. For a buyer whose objection to Archer is the US link, that overlap matters.
What SureCloud does better than Archer
- Plan tiers and implementation timelines are published
- Unlimited named users on the two upper plans
- Company number and registered office are published
- Pricing is not tied to seats
Where SureCloud is a step down from Archer
- The privacy statement allows transfers to the United States
- A US affiliate is named in the site terms
- No price amounts and no stated platform hosting
Standout against Archer. SureCloud is the only tool here that publishes an implementation timeline for each plan.
Best for: Security teams that want an open-source platform with many frameworks and the option to self-host
CISO Assistant is built by intuitem SARL in Vélizy-Villacoublay, and the community edition is free under AGPLv3. The site cites more than 220 frameworks you can map controls to. Archer starts at a sales call, whereas CISO Assistant can be running in Docker the same afternoon.
The Pro plans cost EUR 39 per contributor per month billed annually as SaaS, or EUR 2,400 per instance per year on-premises for 1 to 5 seats. Evidence collection is limited, self-hosting needs admin skills, and the Pro SaaS hosting region is not verified. It is a security-team tool, not an enterprise risk suite.
What CISO Assistant does better than Archer
- Source code is open and the community edition is free
- Prices for Pro SaaS and Pro on-premises are published
- Self-hosting keeps all data on your own servers
- French company under EU law
Where CISO Assistant is a step down from Archer
- Automated evidence collection is limited
- Self-hosting requires admin skills
- Contributor-based pricing on Pro SaaS adds up as more people join
Standout against Archer. CISO Assistant is the only tool here with an AGPLv3 community edition and more than 220 frameworks.
Best for: German public sector and critical infrastructure organisations that work with IT-Grundschutz
verinice comes from SerNet GmbH in Göttingen and has been produced as open source since 2007. It covers BSI IT-Grundschutz, ISO 27001, VDA ISA/TISAX, GDPR and NIS 2, plus business continuity. For an organisation that must show IT-Grundschutz compliance, verinice speaks the language that Archer does not.
The interface is mostly in German and follows classic GRC ideas, and automated evidence collection is limited. Cloud and on-premises options exist, and a partner network handles implementation. Prices are not on the main pages. verinice does not try to be an enterprise risk suite like Archer.
What verinice does better than Archer
- BSI IT-Grundschutz is covered directly
- Open source since 2007 with a German entity
- Cloud and on-premises options
- A partner network for implementation
Where verinice is a step down from Archer
- Mostly German-language material
- Little automated evidence collection
- Narrower than Archer outside information security
Standout against Archer. verinice is the only tool here built around BSI IT-Grundschutz.
Best for: Organisations new to ISO 27001 that want a guided method rather than a blank configuration
ISMS.online, now branded IO, is run by Alliantist Limited in Brighton. It lists ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, NIS 2, DORA, SOC 2 and other frameworks with pre-configured templates. The product walks you from gap analysis to certification. Archer's pages do not describe a comparable guided path.
Plans are quoted on request. The trust centre says the primary hosting supplier is in the UK, with further data centres in Europe, the USA and Australia. That is a wide spread for a buyer leaving Archer over transfers. The UK holds an adequacy decision but is outside the EEA, and there is no self-hosted option.
What ISMS.online does better than Archer
- Guided path from gap analysis to certification
- Templates for each listed framework
- NIS 2 and DORA are in the framework list
- Support from compliance specialists
Where ISMS.online is a step down from Archer
- Data centres outside Europe are listed too
- UK entity, not EU, with quote-only pricing
- No enterprise risk or audit breadth comparable to Archer
Standout against Archer. ISMS.online is the only tool here that sells a guided route from gap analysis to ISO 27001 certification.
Best for: Teams that need a configurable risk register and quantitative risk analysis more than a full suite
riskHive Software Solutions Ltd in Nailsea states that it was founded in 1999. Its Enterprise Risk Manager is a risk database in a private cloud, and Arrisca Risk Analyser runs risk analysis on Excel spreadsheets. Next to Archer's multi-product catalogue, riskHive stays small and focused on risk.
The pages list Cyber Essentials Plus and JOSCAR certificates, plus business continuity, cost assurance and training from the same vendor. They show no audit, policy or compliance-framework modules, no prices, no hosting location and few integration details. It replaces only the risk-register part of an Archer set-up.
What riskHive does better than Archer
- Risk analysis directly in Excel through Arrisca
- Training and consulting come from the same vendor
- Cyber Essentials Plus and JOSCAR certificates are listed
Where riskHive is a step down from Archer
- No audit, policy or framework modules shown
- No prices or hosting location on the pages we read
- Few integration details
Standout against Archer. riskHive is the only tool here that analyses risk inside Excel workbooks.
Best for: Privacy and compliance teams that want data mapping and vendor risk assessment in one UK tool
Proteus-Cyber Ltd in London sells Proteus NextGen. The product covers data mapping, PIA and DPIA, DSAR handling, consent management, breach notification and vendor risk with transfer impact assessments. Continuous control testing is also listed. Against Archer it is a privacy tool first, and a GRC tool second.
The company is registered in England and Wales under 07239733 and the terms apply English law. Two different addresses appear in the footer and in the terms. No prices or hosting location are shown, and audit and enterprise risk modules are absent from the pages we read.
What Proteus-Cyber does better than Archer
- Data mapping, DPIA and DSAR workflows are listed
- Vendor risk includes transfer impact assessments
- Company number is published
Where Proteus-Cyber is a step down from Archer
- Not a full GRC suite: no audit or enterprise risk modules
- Footer and terms give two different addresses
- No prices or hosting location shown
Standout against Archer. Proteus-Cyber is the only tool here that puts transfer impact assessments inside its vendor risk module.
What actually breaks when you switch
The first thing that breaks is your configuration. Archer applications, fields, workflow rules and reports are specific to Archer, and we did not see any of the twelve European tools state that it reads them. Plan to export registers to spreadsheets, recreate the control library in the new tool, and rebuild approval workflows by hand. Keep Archer read-only for at least one audit cycle so evidence stays reachable.
The second break is the contract. Archer's pricing page shows no amounts, so notice periods, renewal dates and data return clauses are in your own agreement, not on a public page. Ask the Archer team in writing how your data is returned and deleted. European vendors without prices, such as CERRIX or EGERIE, also need a written scope before you sign. Retraining is the third cost: Archer Academy certifies staff on Archer, and that knowledge does not carry over.
Can a European company use Archer under GDPR?
Yes, with paperwork. Archer says in its privacy statement that SaaS customer data is processed on behalf of the customer, which makes Archer a processor for that data and puts the real conditions in your data processing agreement. The same statement allows transfers outside the EEA, including to the United States.
Ask the sales team in writing which region hosts your instance, which sub-processors touch it, and which transfer mechanism covers any US access. Those answers were not on the public pages we read, so the contract is where they have to appear.
How do we move our risk register and controls out of Archer?
Start with an inventory of what Archer holds for you: applications, risk and control records, questionnaires, workflow rules, reports, and attachments with audit evidence. Ask your Archer administrator what each export format preserves. We did not see Archer documentation on export formats, so treat any claim here as a question for the vendor.
Most European tools take a spreadsheet import for registers and controls. Corporater lists Excel, CSV, SQL and web service integration, and CISO Assistant is built around frameworks you map controls to. Rebuild workflows by hand and keep the old Archer instance read-only until your first audit cycle has passed on the new tool.
Which one to pick
If you run an enterprise risk office and want a platform of similar scope, start with Corporater, CERRIX and GBTEC. CERRIX fits regulated financial firms in the Netherlands, Corporater fits groups that tie risk to performance reporting, and GBTEC fits process-driven organisations. For cyber risk with financial quantification, take EGERIE. Swiss GRC and SureCloud sit between a suite and a modular platform.
If your real need is ISO 27001 or NIS2 evidence at a smaller scale, pick by method: ISMS.online for a guided certification path, verinice for IT-Grundschutz, CISO Assistant or eramba if you can configure and host the tool yourself. riskHive and Proteus-Cyber cover narrower jobs, a risk register and privacy operations. Keep Archer if you depend on its analyst-validated breadth and have no reason to move.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the criterion. For a full enterprise suite, Corporater, CERRIX and GBTEC are the closest; CERRIX suits banks and insurers, and Corporater links risk with performance management. For published prices, eramba (EUR 2,500 a year on-premises) and CISO Assistant (free community edition) stand out. For a French cyber risk focus, look at EGERIE.
CISO Assistant from intuitem in France has a free community edition under AGPLv3 that you host yourself. eramba has a free community edition that runs on-premises, and verinice from SerNet in Germany has been open source since 2007. None of them covers every Archer product area, so check the modules you use against their framework lists first.
Few of the vendors state a hosting region publicly. eramba lets SaaS customers choose EU or US hosting, and ISMS.online lists a UK primary data centre. Corporater runs its SaaS on AWS without naming a region. CERRIX, Swiss GRC, GBTEC, EGERIE and riskHive do not state the platform location on the pages we read, so ask before you sign.
Not on the pages we read. The Archer pricing page on 4 November 2026 offered demo requests and no amounts. Most European enterprise GRC vendors on this page work the same way. The exceptions are eramba, CISO Assistant and, in part, SureCloud, which says its plans are priced on requirements and not on users or seats.
ISMS.online guides first-time ISO 27001 projects with templates and a certification path, and lists NIS 2 and DORA among its frameworks. verinice covers ISO 27001 and BSI IT-Grundschutz for German-speaking teams. CISO Assistant is the lighter option for a security team that can run Docker and wants to map controls to many frameworks.
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