GRC platforms: Excel does not protect against ransomware

Many organizations' GRC (Governance, Risk Management, Compliance) operations are still based on unstructured piles of documents: Excel spreadsheets, Word files, PPTs, and sometimes even just mental sets of rules. The resulting chaos is not only an operational risk but also a strategic threat. This type of 'paper-based' creates a misleading illusion - the illusion of compliance - while providing neither event-driven operation, nor accountability, nor real-time control.

GRC on paper - the illusion of a box system

"GRC on paper" does not literally mean paper, but unstructured data - be it a dozen Excel, Word, PDF or SharePoint folders. The problem starts when risk registers (e.g. third-party risk, cybersecurity, business continuity) sit in separate "boxes" with no connection between them. In such an environment, there is no chance of either identifying correlations or automation.

The attacker, when he arrives, will not care that the threats are neatly documented in a Word document, he will simply evade them. However, these systems are often only seen in aftermath: for example, when there is an audit, you "uncheck the box", pull out the Excel file and color in the matrix.

The price of unstructured: no control, no real time

The most common consequence is that the regular review is exhausted by a date at the bottom of the policy - which is usually years ago. “Updated: 1 January 2004” dates do not indicate a real update, but rather that someone has touched it "out of necessity". Shelved policies, drawered procedures, roles known by “habit” provide not a controlled but a desired operation.

Another tell-tale sign of unstructured functioning is the "I think" factor. A common response in a risk assessment is "every other Friday is a critical process because I'm not the one picking up the child at daycare". In the absence of a methodological framework, it is the individual subject who dictates the process criticality - and hence the risk weights. This leads to forced simplifications, false sense of security and chaos without decision support.

GRC platform: a system, not a magic wand

Many people think that GRC is a boxed product that you just buy, install and it works. This is a misconception. A GRC system is not a lifesaver in the sense that it works for you - but it is a lifesaver because it helps you structure, account for and integrate knowledge, processes and activities related to risk.

The real value of the platform is event-driven operation. It knows who does what, when why and with what frequency. The workflow not only supports but also enforces for example, if there is no validated rollback test in the backup process, it cannot be bypassed. A well-built GRC platform expects proof rather than "ticking off".

In addition, GRC is able to align internal policies with external requirements (NIS2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, etc.), create a single control catalogue and a truly integrated system - not a collection of separate risk registers.

A working GRC can only be built as a team

A GRC platform is not a lone expert project. For it to work, the organization needs to know and manage roles, processes and responsibility matrixes in a structured way. This information typically already exists - for example, in the form of Active Directory groups - and just needs to be incorporated into the system.

The process descriptions, service lists and responsible contacts generated during business impact analyses can all be incorporated. In the same way: policies need to be reinterpreted - not as novels, but as rules. If a policy can be formulated with the logic "if it works this way → free / if it works that way → forbidden", it can be algorithmized. In this way, the GRC platform can not only store the rules, but also apply them.

Compliance is not an objective, but a consequence

In a well-structured GRC system, compliance is not a target to be ticked off, but the result of good operations. Compliance is like a rooftop. It looks nice from above, but if there is no wall underneath, there is no house. A policy without real enforcement behind it is worthless.

The GRC platform gives you the opportunity to make your organization a reality, not a pretense. To be in order not just because of a NIS2 audit, but because the system works - so compliance is not just a checkpoint or a goal. And the end state is not perfect control, but an operation where you can work with peace of mind because you know the system works.

Closing words

A GRC platform is not magic. But if it is built well - in a teamwork, data-driven, structured way - it can ensure that you are not only seemingly safe. With a good GRC system, we can not only say "everything is fine", but also why, where and how. And that is no longer a competitive advantage, it is fundamental for survival.