# IBM watsonx.governance - **Type:** Software product - **Website:** https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-governance - **Assessed by:** The Assurance Desk (Add-Venture Advisory Ltd) An IBM software product, part of its watsonx AI platform, that organisations license to monitor, document and set rules for their AI models. It is not advice. ## IBM watsonx.governance scores Scored 1 to 5 on six criteria. There is no overall score. ### Help when things go wrong: 5/5 AI Factsheets automatically capture and version a model's full lifecycle, purpose, risk classification, data provenance, validation results, approval chain, explicitly creating 'a full audit trail' documented as regulator-facing evidence. ### Qualifications of the people who do the work: 3/5 IBM discloses ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification for IBM Cloud data centres and ISO 27018 for Watson AI services, but its own documentation states the watsonx.governance product itself is not currently SOC 2 certified. ### What it publishes about fees: 4/5 The IBM pricing page publishes starting prices, including US$3,500 monthly for Risk & Compliance Basic on IBM Cloud. It states that prices vary by country and exclude applicable taxes and duties. Checked 2026-10-13. ### Knowledge of your sector: 4/5 Compliance Accelerators name sector-specific frameworks such as SR 11-7 for US banking model risk alongside EU AI Act, NIST and ISO 42001, evidencing genuine sector-aware regulatory content. ### Independence from what it sells: 3/5 ISO 27001/SOC 2 certification of underlying IBM Cloud infrastructure is independently audited, but IBM's own documentation states watsonx.governance itself is not currently SOC 2 certified, weakening the product-level independence claim. ### Who carries the risk if the advice is wrong: 2/5 IBM is known to publish standard Cloud Services Agreement and SLA documents as part of its enterprise contracting practice, but this research could not directly access and verify specific liability-cap or uptime wording for watsonx.governance. ## Sources for IBM watsonx.governance Every line carries the page it was read on and the date it was checked. - Company registration - Source: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00741598 - Checked: 2026-07-17 - Product scope - Source: https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-governance - Checked: 2026-07-17 - Pricing disclosure - Source: https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-governance/pricing - Checked: 2026-10-13 - UK presence - Source: https://www.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/services/420266498220359 - Checked: 2026-07-17 - Security certifications - Source: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-iso-27001-certifications-cloud - Checked: 2026-07-17 - Customer evidence - Source: https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx/client-quotes - Checked: 2026-07-17 ## What this provider publishes Not published means we did not find it on the firm's own pages. - Price: Published - Indemnity cover: Not published - Credentials: Published - Independent accreditation: Published - Client results: Published - How it uses AI: Not published ## Strengths - Publishes starting prices, including a monthly price for its Risk & Compliance Basic plan. - AI Factsheets automatically document and version a model's full lifecycle (purpose, risk classification, data provenance, validation results, approval chain) with a stated audit trail of changes - Compliance Accelerators cover 12 named regulatory frameworks including sector-specific ones such as SR 11-7 for US banking model risk, showing genuine sector/regulatory depth - Backed by IBM's large, long-established infrastructure, including IBM Cloud data centres independently certified to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 ## Things to check Each one carries the factual basis it rests on. - IBM's own documentation states that watsonx.governance itself 'is not currently SOC 2 certified,' even though the underlying IBM Cloud infrastructure carries SOC 2 certification, a distinction buyers should not conflate. - Basis: IBM documentation notes watsonx.governance is not currently SOC 2 certified as a product, distinct from the SOC 2-certified IBM Cloud data centres described at https://www.ibm.com/products/cloud/compliance/soc-2 - The UK Government Digital Marketplace listing for watsonx.governance explicitly excludes some of the product's core modules (model risk governance, regulatory compliance and operational risk management) from the G-Cloud-purchasable scope. - Basis: https://www.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/services/420266498220359 states these modules are not yet part of the G-Cloud offering - No watsonx.governance-specific UK named case study was found; the one prominent UK bank case study identified (NatWest) is for a different product, watsonx Assistant, not watsonx.governance. - Basis: https://www.ibm.com/case-studies/natwest-group-watson describes watsonx Assistant use for mortgage call-centre support, not the governance product ## Where this firm appears - [Can the firm that prepares you also certify you?](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/certification-seeking) - [Does the EU AI Act apply to a UK firm?](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/eu-ai-act-exposed) - [How do you change your data protection provider?](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/switching-provider) - [Your sector adds its own rules to UK data protection law](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/sector-regulated) - [Which data protection, AI governance and cyber security providers publish a price?](https://theassurancedesk.com/lists/providers-that-publish-a-price) - [Compare providers](https://theassurancedesk.com/compare) --- **Scope.** The Assurance Desk covers data protection, AI governance and cyber security in the United Kingdom and the United States. It scores providers in both: UK-facing firms, and firms based in the United States. Every provider scored so far was selected for data-protection, AI-governance or security-assurance work. Where a page describes law, it names the country that law applies in. **Who publishes this.** The Assurance Desk is published by Add-Venture Advisory Ltd, company number 11854524, registered in England and Wales. The same owner runs Avouch, a marketing agency that sells AI visibility services to firms of the kind this site covers. That is a conflict of interest, and it is disclosed here. **Corrections.** If you represent this firm and something here is wrong or out of date, email hello@theassurancedesk.com with the evidence.