title: "Moving from Spreadsheets to Automated Compliance with ezGRC" description: "Guide to transitioning from manual compliance tracking (spreadsheets, documents) to automated compliance with ezGRC." date: "2025-01-07" author: "Zeros and Ones Team" category: "Compliance" tags: ["Compliance", "Automation", "SOC 2", "ezGRC", "GRC", "Spreadsheets"]

Many organizations start their compliance journey with spreadsheets, shared drives, and manual processes. While this works initially, it quickly becomes unsustainable as you scale. Here's how to transition to automated compliance with ezGRC.

Signs You've Outgrown Spreadsheets

If any of these sound familiar, it's time to automate:

Evidence Collection: You're manually screenshotting configurations
Status Updates: Weekly "update the compliance spreadsheet" reminders
Version Control: "compliance_tracker_v47_final_FINAL.xlsx"
Audit Prep: Scrambling to collect evidence before audits
Access Reviews: Manual comparison of access lists
Policy Management: Policies scattered across SharePoint, Drive, and email

The True Cost of Manual Compliance

Time Costs

| Activity | Manual (Monthly) | Automated | |----------|------------------|-----------| | Evidence collection | 20-40 hours | ~0 hours | | Status tracking | 10-15 hours | ~1 hour | | Access reviews | 15-20 hours | ~2 hours | | Policy updates | 5-10 hours | ~1 hour | | Audit prep | 40-80 hours | ~4 hours | | Total | 90-165 hours | ~8 hours |

Risk Costs

Manual processes introduce risks:

Missed evidence collection
Outdated configurations undetected
Incomplete access reviews
Policy version confusion
Audit surprises

Migration Path

Phase 1: Inventory (Week 1)

Document your current state:

1. Identify All Compliance Documents

Common locations:

Google Drive / SharePoint
Local files
Email attachments
Wiki pages
Ticketing systems

2. Catalog Evidence Types

Create an inventory:

| Evidence Type | Location | Collection Method | Frequency |
|---------------|----------|-------------------|-----------|
| AWS configs | Screenshots | Manual | Quarterly |
| Access lists | Spreadsheet | Export from systems | Monthly |
| Policies | Google Docs | Manual updates | Annually |
| Training records | Spreadsheet | Manual tracking | Ongoing |

3. Map Controls

Document which controls you're tracking:

SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria
ISO 27001 Annex A controls
Custom controls
Industry requirements

Phase 2: Setup ezGRC (Week 1)

1. Create Your Organization

Company information
Users and roles
SSO configuration (optional)

2. Select Frameworks

Enable relevant frameworks:

SOC 2 Type II
ISO 27001
HIPAA
Others as needed

All frameworks included, no add-on costs.

3. Connect Integrations

Connect your systems for automated evidence:

Cloud Providers:

# AWS
ezgrc connect aws --role-arn arn:aws:iam::xxx:role/ezGRC

# GCP
ezgrc connect gcp --service-account key.json

# Azure
ezgrc connect azure --tenant-id xxx --client-id yyy

Identity Providers:

Okta
Azure AD
Google Workspace
Auth0

Developer Tools:

GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket
Jira / Linear / Asana

HR Systems:

BambooHR
Gusto
Rippling
Workday

Phase 3: Import Existing Data (Week 2)

1. Import Policies

Upload existing policies:

ezgrc policies upload \
  --file information_security_policy.pdf \
  --name "Information Security Policy" \
  --owner "security@company.com" \
  --review-frequency annual

Or use ezGRC templates and customize:

Pre-built policy templates
Industry best practices
Customizable language

2. Import Historical Evidence

Upload evidence from spreadsheets:

control_id,evidence_type,evidence_date,file_path,notes
CC6.1,Access Review,2024-09-15,access_review_q3.pdf,Quarterly access review
CC6.6,Encryption Config,2024-10-01,encryption_settings.png,AWS encryption settings

3. Import Risk Register

If you have existing risk tracking:

risk_name,description,likelihood,impact,owner,status
Data Breach,Unauthorized access to PII,Medium,High,Security Team,Mitigated
Vendor Risk,Third-party security incident,Low,High,Vendor Mgmt,Monitoring

4. Import Vendor Inventory

Upload vendor information:

vendor,service,data_access,risk_tier,last_review
AWS,Infrastructure,All Data,Critical,2024-10-01
Stripe,Payments,Payment Info,High,2024-09-15
Slack,Communication,Internal Data,Medium,2024-08-01

Phase 4: Configure Automation (Week 2-3)

1. Set Up Continuous Monitoring

Configure automated checks:

Cloud configuration compliance
Access control verification
Encryption status
Vulnerability scanning
Endpoint compliance

2. Configure Access Reviews

Automate access reviews:

ezgrc access-reviews create \
  --frequency quarterly \
  --systems "aws,github,okta" \
  --reviewers "managers" \
  --deadline 14

3. Set Up Alerts

Configure notifications:

Control failures
Evidence gaps
Policy review due dates
Audit milestones

Phase 5: Training and Adoption (Week 3)

1. Admin Training

Train compliance team on:

Dashboard navigation
Evidence management
Report generation
Control configuration

2. Employee Training

Train employees on:

Security awareness tasks
Policy acknowledgments
Self-service features

3. Manager Training

Train managers on:

Access review workflows
Team compliance status
Approval processes

Phase 6: Retire Spreadsheets (Week 4)

1. Verify Data Migration

Confirm all data transferred:

[ ] Policies uploaded
[ ] Historical evidence imported
[ ] Risks documented
[ ] Vendors cataloged
[ ] Controls mapped

2. Archive Old Systems

Archive (don't delete) old materials:

Spreadsheets → Archive folder
Evidence files → Backup storage
Documentation → Archived wiki

3. Update Processes

Update documented processes:

Point to ezGRC instead of spreadsheets
Update SOPs
Revise training materials

Before and After

Before: Manual Compliance

📁 Compliance Tracking
├── 📊 SOC2_Controls_v23_FINAL.xlsx
├── 📊 Evidence_Tracker_2024.xlsx
├── 📊 Access_Reviews_Q4.xlsx
├── 📁 Evidence
│   ├── aws_screenshots/
│   ├── okta_exports/
│   └── policies/
├── 📝 Risk_Register.docx
└── 📧 (evidence scattered in emails)

Weekly: "Please update the compliance tracker"
Monthly: "Where is the evidence for control X?"
Audit time: 😰

After: Automated Compliance

ezGRC Dashboard
├── ✅ 98% Controls Passing
├── 📊 Real-time Evidence Collection
├── 🔔 3 Items Need Attention
├── 📅 Next Audit: 45 days
└── 📈 Continuous Improvement Tracking

Weekly: Nothing - it's automated
Monthly: Quick review of dashboard
Audit time: 😎 Generate report, done

ROI Calculator

Time Savings

| Role | Before (hrs/month) | After | Savings | |------|-------------------|-------|---------| | Compliance Lead | 80 | 20 | 60 hrs | | IT Team | 40 | 5 | 35 hrs | | Engineering | 20 | 2 | 18 hrs | | HR | 15 | 2 | 13 hrs | | Total | 155 hrs | 29 hrs | 126 hrs |

Risk Reduction

Continuous monitoring vs. point-in-time checks
Automated evidence vs. manual collection
Real-time alerts vs. audit surprises
Version-controlled policies vs. document chaos

Getting Started

Free Trial: Start at ezgrc.zerosandones.us
Connect Integrations: Link your systems
Import Data: Upload existing compliance data
Configure Monitoring: Set up automated checks
Train Team: Get everyone up to speed

Ready to automate your compliance? Start your free trial and say goodbye to compliance spreadsheets.