Cost of Compliance Ownership (CoCO) is the total, long-term expenditure an organization incurs to meet and maintain all regulatory requirements and internal policies.

It encompasses direct costs (salaries, technology, external audit fees) and indirect costs (operational overhead, time diversion from core tasks, and opportunity costs). It represents the full, ongoing investment needed to maintain a compliant posture, which is ultimately intended to be significantly lower than the potential Cost of Non-Compliance (fines, lawsuits, and reputational damage).

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