For those of us that work in infosec, we can all agree that the two keys worn out on our keyboards are ‘Ctrl’ ‘C’ and ‘Ctrl’ ‘V’.
Our reliance on spreadsheets has forced us to spend our lives managing data entry from one source to another. Some go the extra mile, turning on ‘track changes’ and using version controls within our workbooks.
For professionals that provide assurance, manage risk and report compliance to boards, colleagues and customers, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is not acceptable. Then again, we often have other battles that take precedent.
It’s important to remind yourself that we are highly skilled professionals. We should be spending more time engaging with the business to find solutions and analysing data to understand consequences.
Needless to say, switching between multiple spreadsheets with endless information is not the most efficient way to manage data. In times of urgency, such as responding to a security breach, quick access to your data is vital. It’s times like these when you were realise spreadsheets will not satisfy your organisation’s compliance needs.
The sheer volume of data we handle and the annual requirements to update, reassess and log metadata across our GRC frameworks mean we are currently suffocating in manual processes and data entry. While we endeavour to make security a pervasive responsibility, we still find ourselves having to manage and report almost all risk and compliance data back to the business.
This is why IRM’s SYNERGi GRC platform is striving to deliver technical solutions for our daily infosec challenges. Whether it’s a case of wanting to avoid ‘audit fatigue’ or needing a sophisticated data management tool, SYNERGi is a powerful 360° solution.
How can we be smarter?
Firstly, we need to recognise that a solution can help scale our processes and workflows. Next, understand that you can rely on a partner like IRM to deliver award-winning technical functionality.
An example of how SYNERGi can support you is “Response Mapping“. Response Mapping is a new feature added to the ‘Questionnaires’ section of the platform. It allows you to populate custom or preset fields using your Questionnaire responses. This functionality lets you efficiently gather information about the ‘Object’ associated with the Questionnaire.
For example, you could create a Data Privacy Impact Assessment Questionnaire to gather data processing information for a new information asset and then use the Response Mapping to populate the Application Name, Volume of Data, Lawful Basis, CIA and Custom Date Fields (if any have been applied). This feature can be applied to other SYNERGi modules including the ‘Penetration Testing Repository‘. This is an area of the GRC platform that allows you to schedule, track and report on the results of your organisation’s penetration testing.
Does it sound like this type of functionality could increase the efficiencies in compliance management in your organisation? If so, SYNERGi is the GRC solution that can support you. For more information about SYNERGi, including to organise a demo or a free trial email hello@irmsecurity.com or fill in our website’s contact form.