Spreadsheets Are Not GRC Tools

Despite the availability of modern GRC tools, many organizations still use spreadsheets to conduct IT compliance audits and other GRC activities. While spreadsheets are highly useful for many business functions, especially accounting, they are not GRC tools. Depending on spreadsheets to manage GRC processes is time-consuming, costly, and inefficient at best, dangerous to your GRC and cyber security efforts at worst. Here are six reasons why your enterprise should stop using spreadsheets as GRC tools.

They Aren’t Databases

Spreadsheets are documents; they are not databases. Among other limitations, spreadsheets have no data integrity, no referential integrity, and no way to create and maintain relationships between data in other files. They do not scale well, and their data analysis and reporting capabilities are quite limited. Unlike modern GRC tools, spreadsheets do not automatically generate the complex reports required for IT compliance audits.

They Are Difficult and Time-Consuming to Manage

It is highly unlikely you’ll be able to keep all of your GRC information in one file; you’ll need to have multiple spreadsheets, and probably some Word documents as well. Searching for information in multiple files is a logistical nightmare. Want to add a field, row, or column? You’ll need to do that manually, in every file, plus manually update every affected record. Forget about creating relationships between data in different files, exporting your audit data to other programs, or archiving information. GRC tools automate all of these functions, but spreadsheets and word processing documents require manual editing.

They Don’t Provide Audit Trails

Secure audit trails are critical to the integrated risk management approach that modern enterprises are embracing to support their governance, risk, compliance, and cyber security processes. Spreadsheets don’t have audit trail functions; GRC tools do.

They Are Highly Insecure and Error-Prone

Spreadsheet software has limited security features. Individual files can be password-protected, but different users cannot be assigned different access levels. You can track who opened and saved a spreadsheet file and when, but you cannot tell what changes they made, if any. Both innocent mistakes and purposeful sabotage can go undetected for some time, and when you finally do figure out the problem, there is no way to trace who was responsible or when it occurred. Because spreadsheets require manual editing, the probability of a mistake being made is very high; it is estimated that nearly 90% of all business spreadsheets contain errors.

Collaboration is Difficult or Impossible

Modern GRC processes involve input from multiple stakeholders. If, somehow, you’ve managed to cram all of your GRC data into one giant spreadsheet, only one person can edit the document at a time. If your data is spread across multiple documents (the more likely scenario), any changes made to one document by one user need to be coordinated with all of the other users and duplicated in all of the other documents. This is a recipe for data loss, errors, important decisions being made based on faulty or incomplete data – and being found out of compliance.

Data Analysis Capabilities Are Very Limited

A robust GRC program is not centered around amassing just enough information to pass IT audits. You should be able to analyze all your data to glean actionable intelligence that can be used to improve both your GRC processes and your cyber security. Due to the inherent limitations of spreadsheets, including the lack of referential integrity and the inability to create relationships between data in different files, gleaning meaningful business and risk management insights from your data is difficult or impossible.

Now that modern GRC tools are available, such as Continuum GRC’s proprietary IT Audit Machine (ITAM), it’s time to ditch spreadsheets. Switching will not only simplify your GRC processes; it will also strengthen your enterprise cyber security and free up money, time, and human resources to innovate, create, and pursue long-term organizational goals. ITAM integrates IT governance, policy management, risk management, and incident management, empowering you to document and analyze IT risks, develop mitigation plans, define security controls, and manage ongoing risk assessments.

The cyber security experts at Continuum GRC have deep knowledge of the cyber security field, are continually monitoring the latest information security threats, and are committed to protecting your organization from security breaches. Continuum GRC offers full-service and in-house risk assessment and risk management subscriptions, and we help companies all around the world sustain proactive cyber security programs.

Continuum GRC is proactive cyber security®. Call 1-888-896-6207 to discuss your organization’s cyber security needs and find out how we can help your organization protect its systems and ensure compliance.

When contracting with a service provider, such as a data center, it is important for companies to ensure that their provider possesses the cyber security-related certifications and compliance standards that are applicable to the company’s industry. Data centers, as well as service providers who contract with data centers, sometimes claim to be “SSAE 16” certified. In an effort to cut through the noise and clear up some of the confusion regarding SSAE 16 compliance, Continuum would like to clarify what SSAE 16 compliance is—and isn’t.

What is SSAE 16?

SSAE 16 is an internationally recognized auditing standard for service organizations. It was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and replaces the previous standard, SAS 70. SSAE 16 reporting helps service organizations comply with the requirements of Sarbanes Oxley (section 404) to demonstrate effective internal controls covering financial reporting. SSAE 16 applies to data centers that host systems that are involved in their clients’ financial reporting, as well as web hosting providers, ASPs, and ISPs who perform services that are relevant to their clients’ financial reporting.

There are three types of reports that can be issued: an SOC 1, an SOC 2, or an SOC 3, all of which address different controls. Performing an SSAE 16 audit and issuing an SOC report demonstrates a service provider’s commitment to maintaining a sound control environment that protects their clients’ data and confidential information.

Some service providers who use SSAE 16-compliant data centers imply that they are, somehow, SSAE 16 compliant by proxy. This is not the case; just because you use a provider who is SSAE 16 compliant does not mean that your company is SSAE compliant, and to imply such is black-hat marketing.

There is No Such Thing as SSAE 16 “Certification”

A Google search on “SSAE 16” reveals numerous instances of companies claiming to be “SSAE 16 Certified.” Organizations are compliant with SSAE 16; there is no such thing as becoming “SSAE certified.” SSAE 16 has to do with issuing SOC reports; no “certification” is awarded to anyone. Beware of any service provider that claims to possess an SSAE 16 “certification” or purports to be working towards getting one.

Need SSAE 16 Compliance Auditing Services?

If you have questions about SSAE 16 compliance, or if your company needs SSAE 16 auditing services, Continuum can help! Continuum provides both do-it-yourself and Cybervisor®-supported SSAE 16 modules to support SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 audit reports.

Continuum’s primary purpose is to help organizations attain, maintain, and demonstrate compliance and information security excellence, in any jurisdiction. Continuum GRC specializes in IT security, risk, privacy, governance, cyberspace law and compliance leadership solutions and is fully dedicated to global success in these disciplines. Learn more about Continuum GRC and why Continuum is Proactive Cyber Security™!

[bpscheduler_booking_form]