How to Automate GRC the Smart Way

It’s Thursday afternoon. You’ve got five tabs open. Your inbox is blowing up. An auditor just asked for evidence — and you don’t know where to find it.

Sound familiar?

That’s the daily reality for most GRC professionals.

Too many spreadsheets. Too much manual chasing. Too little time.

But here’s the truth: you’re not behind. You’re just buried in the wrong system. One built for another era.

GRC wasn’t designed for this pace. But automation? That changes the game.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to make GRC automation work in the real world — not just in theory.

You’ll learn:

• What GRC automation actually means (in plain English)
• Why it matters now more than ever
• Common mistakes to avoid
• How to get started — even if you’re working with a lean team
• Tools and tech to consider
• What works based on real stories and lessons learned

Let’s dive in.

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What Is GRC Automation (Really)?

GRC automation means using technology to simplify and streamline how you manage governance, risk, and compliance.

Instead of manually tracking risks in Excel or chasing policy acknowledgements over email, automation helps you:

• Auto-collect evidence for audits
• Monitor user access continuously
• Trigger risk alerts in real-time
• Schedule control tests automatically
• Track policy sign-offs and training

In short? It cuts out the busywork and helps your team focus on what actually matters.

To get a full picture of how automation fits into your larger program, start by understanding how to implement a GRC program. It’s the foundation everything else builds on.

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Why GRC Automation Matters

GRC automation isn’t just a productivity upgrade. It’s a strategic advantage — and the difference between proactive control and constant firefighting.

Here’s why it matters:

• Manual processes are slow, error-prone, and reactive. Without automation, GRC teams spend more time collecting evidence than reducing risk.
• Siloed tools lead to missed connections. When data lives across spreadsheets, folders, and inboxes, visibility suffers — and risks slip through the cracks.
• Audit prep becomes a drain. Gathering reports manually every time an auditor asks isn’t just painful — it’s risky.
• Stakeholder trust is earned through proof. Real-time dashboards and automated reports show customers, regulators, and partners you’re in control.

📚 What the Research Says

• “Automation can reduce compliance costs by up to 30% while improving risk detection.” – McKinsey
• “Organizations using GRC automation report stronger decision-making and stakeholder trust.” – Vanta
• “Manual GRC workflows are prone to error and inefficiency, raising the cost of non-compliance.” – Pathlock
• “Automated alerts and continuous monitoring help identify threats in real time.” – Drata

In short: the more you automate, the faster, smarter, and more resilient your program becomes.

For a deeper dive into ongoing compliance practices, check out our guide to compliance automation. You’ll learn how continuous monitoring keeps your program agile and audit-ready.

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Introducing: The GRC Automation Flywheel

You don’t need a big bang rollout. You need momentum.

The GRC Automation Flywheel is a simple 6-phase model that helps you build automation into your program gradually — with every step reinforcing the next.

1. Identify the Pain Point – Find the one process your team hates the most.
2. Map the Manual Workflow – Document where time gets lost and errors creep in.
3. Choose the Right Tool – Look for integrations, ease of use, and fast wins.
4. Automate a Small Task – Start with one: evidence, access, reviews, reminders.
5. Measure the Impact – Track time saved, fewer errors, audit readiness.
6. Expand With Confidence – Use the win to automate the next workflow.

Repeat. With each cycle, your GRC maturity grows — and manual chaos shrinks.

This flywheel turns GRC automation into a self-funding, continuously improving part of your business.

🚴‍♀️ Momentum matters. Start the wheel and let every success fuel the next.

Want to benchmark your progress? Use my GRC maturity model to assess where you are and how far you’ve come.

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Phase 1: Identify the Pain Point

You know that one task everyone dreads? The one that eats hours and adds no real value? That’s where you start.

This phase is all about pinpointing the GRC process that causes the most frustration — or risk. Maybe it’s collecting evidence. Maybe it’s chasing policy acknowledgements. Maybe it’s tracking access changes across systems.

You’ll recognize this stage if:

• Your team groans when a compliance task comes up
• Manual work dominates your weekly to-do list
• You’re spending more time reporting than reducing risk

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🔍 Real Talk: I worked with a FinTech startup where the CISO spent 30 hours a month manually gathering screenshots for SOC 2 evidence. We turned that into a 2-hour monthly check-in with one automation rule and a shared folder.

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What to Focus on Next

• Ask your team: “What’s the one GRC task that frustrates you most?”
• Look for recurring manual work, bottlenecks, and low-value tasks
• Prioritize based on time drain, risk exposure, and business impact

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Phase 2: Map the Manual Workflow

Before you automate, you need to understand how the process works today — where it starts, where it ends, and where things break.

You’ll recognize this stage if:

• Key steps live in someone’s head (or Slack)
• There’s no consistent way to complete the task
• You rely on chasing people rather than triggering actions

🛠️ Pro Tip: Use sticky notes or a whiteboard to map the current process. Who does what, when, and how? Highlight areas where errors happen, steps get skipped, or things slow down.

What to Focus on Next

• Document the step-by-step workflow in plain English
• Identify handoffs, delays, and tools involved
• Find steps that could be replaced with automation

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Phase 3: Choose the Right Tool

This is where things get real. You don’t need the “best” tool — you need the right tool for your workflow, your stack, and your team.

You’ll recognize this stage if:

• You’re lost in demos and vendor comparisons
• Everyone wants “automation,” but no one agrees on what that means
• You’ve tried tools before that didn’t stick

🔎 Real Talk: I’ve seen teams buy expensive GRC platforms… then go back to spreadsheets because the tool didn’t match their process.

What to Focus on Next

• List your must-have features (e.g. integrations, ease of use, role-based access)
• Choose tools that work with your current systems (HRIS, cloud, ticketing)
• Start with free trials or pilots to test before committing

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Phase 4: Automate a Small Task

This is your proof-of-concept moment. Don’t try to boil the ocean — just automate one task end-to-end.

You’ll recognize this stage if:

• You’ve chosen a tool and mapped the workflow
• Everyone’s excited — and a little nervous — to hit “go”
• The task is small enough to test, but big enough to matter

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🚀 Example: A SaaS company I worked with automated their quarterly access reviews using Google Forms, Sheets, and Slack reminders. No fancy platform. Just real value.

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What to Focus on Next

• Pick one automation use case (e.g. audit log collection, review reminders)
• Build it, test it, tweak it with real users
• Document how it works and train the team

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Phase 5: Measure the Impact

Now it’s time to show the return. If you don’t measure what changed, no one will care — or support scaling.

You’ll recognize this stage if:

• You’ve launched your first automation
• People are asking “Did this save time?” or “Is this more accurate?”
• You’re building the case for phase two

📈 Metrics That Matter:

• Hours saved
• Errors reduced
• Audit prep time shortened
• Evidence quality improved

What to Focus on Next

• Capture baseline metrics before automation
• Compare results after a few cycles
• Collect feedback from users

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Phase 6: Expand With Confidence

You’ve proven it works. Now it’s time to build momentum — without losing control.

You’ll recognize this stage if:

• Teams are asking, “Can we automate this too?”
• You’re getting buy-in from leadership
• You’ve got your next few workflows scoped

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🔥 Tip: Don’t expand too fast. Use your Flywheel as a framework to guide each new automation — one cycle at a time.

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What to Focus on Next

• Prioritize the next 2–3 processes to automate
• Create a simple playbook based on what worked
• Celebrate your wins — and use them to drive culture change

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10 GRC Tasks You Can Automate Right Now

Need inspiration? Here are 10 GRC tasks that are perfect for automation — from simple wins to scalable workflows:

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1. Evidence Collection for Audits

Pull logs, screenshots, and compliance artifacts from systems like AWS, Google Workspace, and GitHub. No more last-minute scrambles.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating MFA Evidence from AWS

Let’s say your audit requires proof that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is enabled for all IAM users in AWS. Here’s how you could automate that:

1. Set up AWS Config Rule: Use the AWS Config managed rule iam-user-mfa-enabled to continuously check if MFA is turned on for every IAM user.
2. Enable Continuous Evaluation: Let AWS Config automatically monitor compliance. No manual checks required.
3. Stream Results to S3: Send the compliance status reports to a secure, version-controlled S3 bucket as audit evidence.
4. Add Lifecycle Rules: Retain evidence for 12+ months to meet audit retention requirements, and auto-archive old logs.
5. Share Access with Auditors: Give auditors read-only access to the bucket or generate a report directly from the AWS console.

💡 Bonus Tip: Use a GRC tool like Drata or Vanta to pull this data into your compliance dashboard and tag it to your SOC 2 or ISO 27001 control.

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2. Policy Acknowledgement Tracking

Automatically assign, remind, and report on who’s read which policy. Syncs with HRIS or learning systems.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Policy Sign-Offs with Power Automate

Let’s say you have a new Data Protection Policy that employees must acknowledge each year.

1. Create a Microsoft Form: Include the policy text and a required check box for digital acknowledgement.
2. Build a Power Automate Flow: Trigger the form to be emailed to all staff in a specific Azure AD group.
3. Track Responses in SharePoint: Capture timestamps, names, and email addresses in a SharePoint list.
4. Send Reminders: Automatically re-send the form to anyone who hasn’t acknowledged it after 7 days.
5. Export for Audit: Download a CSV from SharePoint as evidence of annual completion.

✅ Bonus Tip: Add this automation to your onboarding workflow to ensure new hires sign key policies from day one.

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3. Access Reviews & Entitlement Certifications

Trigger periodic reviews of user access across critical systems. Route approvals to control owners.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Quarterly Access Reviews with Google Workspace

Imagine you need to confirm that only authorized users have access to your finance folder in Google Drive.

1. Export a User Access Report: Use Google Workspace Admin to export folder access lists.
2. Push to a Google Sheet: Store results in a shared sheet, segmented by folder or group.
3. Use Google Apps Script: Send automated review requests to each folder owner, with links to their section.
4. Require Sign-Off: Use Google Forms to confirm review is complete and access is still valid.
5. Log Everything: Timestamp every reviewer response in the sheet as an audit trail.

🧩 Pro Tip: Automate this every 90 days using Google Apps Script or Zapier to stay ahead of your next audit.

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4. Vendor Risk Assessments

Send out pre-built risk questionnaires, score responses, and flag gaps — all without manual chasing.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Vendor Due Diligence with Typeform + Notion

You need to assess a new cloud vendor for GDPR and SOC 2 alignment.

1. Create a Risk Questionnaire in Typeform: Include yes/no and free text questions aligned to your risk criteria.
2. Auto-Route Submissions to Notion: Use Zapier to push vendor responses into a Notion database.
3. Tag Responses by Risk Area: Automatically label answers as High, Medium, or Low risk using custom rules.
4. Flag Gaps: Highlight missing documentation or non-compliant answers for manual follow-up.
5. Store the Report: Attach supporting evidence and export the full record to PDF for your vendor file.

🎯 Bonus: Use a Notion template to standardize risk scoring across all vendors.

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5. Risk Register Updates

Use forms and workflows to submit, triage, and approve new risks. Set auto-reminders for review.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Risk Submissions with Microsoft Forms + Excel Online

You want to streamline how business units submit new risks into the central risk register.

1. Create a Microsoft Form: Include fields like risk name, description, impact rating, likelihood, owner, and suggested mitigation.
2. Connect to Excel Online via Power Automate: Every submission gets logged as a new row in a shared Excel-based risk register.
3. Trigger Approval Flow: Route submissions to a risk owner or committee lead for validation and scoring.
4. Tag Status: Automatically assign status (e.g. "Pending Review", "Approved", "Mitigated") based on action taken.
5. Send Reminders: Weekly email digests to risk owners for overdue reviews.

🗂️ Bonus: Export the table as a CSV anytime for audit prep or leadership review.

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6. Control Testing & Evidence Logging

Schedule and assign control reviews. Automatically log results and track failures.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Control Testing with Trello + Zapier

You want to ensure that monthly firewall reviews and backups are tested consistently — and logged.

1. Set up a Trello Board: One list per control category (e.g. access controls, network security, backups).
2. Create Recurring Cards via Zapier: Automatically generate a control review card every month with due dates and checklist items.
3. Assign Control Owners: Tag the person responsible and add supporting links or attachments.
4. Track Outcomes: Add labels like "Pass", "Fail", or "Follow-Up Required" as status indicators.
5. Export to CSV or sync to Google Sheets: Keep an archive of test results for audits.

🛡️ Tip: Use emojis or flags to quickly highlight failed controls or overdue items during team reviews.

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7. Compliance Training Completion

Track and report who completed what training. Set reminders. Integrate with LMS.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Security Awareness Tracking with Google Workspace + TalentLMS

You want to ensure your team completes mandatory security training every quarter.

1. Set Up a Google Group: Include all staff required to complete the training.
2. Assign Training in TalentLMS: Upload the course and link it to the Google Group.
3. Enable Automated Reminders: TalentLMS will notify learners at 7, 3, and 1 day before deadlines.
4. Sync Completions to Google Sheets via Zapier: Track who passed and when, with timestamps.
5. Export Reports for Audits: Use filters in Google Sheets to pull completion stats by team or date.

🎯 Bonus: Set completion as a required milestone before employees can access certain systems or customer data.

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8. Incident Reporting & Triage

Route security or compliance incidents through forms and workflows. Automate escalations.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating Incident Escalation with Jira + Slack

Your security team wants to improve how phishing attempts and data incidents are reported and handled.

1. Create a Jira Service Management Intake Form: Allow employees to report incidents directly.
2. Auto-Triage by Category: Use automation rules to label and assign incidents based on type (e.g. data leak, phishing, system outage).
3. Notify Response Teams in Slack: Trigger real-time Slack alerts for high-severity tickets.
4. Track Status: Use custom fields for investigation steps, resolution date, and root cause.
5. Export Incident Logs: Generate a monthly report for leadership and compliance reviews.

📣 Bonus: Add a Slack shortcut to the incident reporting form so anyone can report issues in one click.

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9. SLA Monitoring for Vendors

Track third-party performance against SLAs and alert when thresholds are missed.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating SLA Tracking with Airtable + Email Alerts

You rely on an IT provider who guarantees 99.9% uptime — but you need a better way to track it.

1. Create an Airtable Base for SLA Commitments: Include vendor name, SLA target, actual performance, and renewal dates.
2. Connect to Uptime Data (e.g. via Statuspage API or email reports): Feed monthly performance metrics into Airtable.
3. Set Conditional Triggers: If uptime drops below the SLA threshold, flag the row.
4. Auto-Notify the Vendor Contact: Use Airtable Automations to send an alert to your vendor.
5. Escalate Internally: Send a weekly SLA digest to your procurement or security team.

📊 Bonus: Use filters to highlight repeat offenders and track trends over time.

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10. Real-Time Risk Alerts

Connect with tools like Microsoft Defender, Arctic Wolf, or your SIEM to detect risk signals and alert owners.

🔍 Real-World Example: Automating High-Risk Alert Routing with Microsoft Sentinel

You want to make sure your GRC team is notified when certain threat thresholds are met.

1. Define Detection Rules in Sentinel: For example, trigger an alert if more than 3 failed logins are detected on an executive account.
2. Use Logic Apps to Automate Workflows: If triggered, automatically open a ticket in your risk platform or notify GRC via Teams or email.
3. Tag Risks by Business Impact: Categorize alerts by severity and asset value to support real-time prioritization.
4. Log Alerts for Trend Reporting: Push every alert to a central dashboard or GRC evidence repository.
5. Review Monthly with GRC Owners: Use alert history to inform control improvements.

🚨 Bonus: Integrate with your risk register to link alerts to known risk scenarios or treatments.

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Final Thought: Spin the Flywheel — and Keep It Turning

You’re not here to automate for automation’s sake.

You’re here to save your team time. Build trust. Sleep easier before audits. Show leadership that you’re not just keeping up — you’re leading.

And the way you do that isn’t through a big transformation project. It’s by turning the wheel.

1. Identify the Pain Point – Find the one process your team hates the most.
2. Map the Manual Workflow – Document where time gets lost and errors creep in.
3. Choose the Right Tool – Look for integrations, ease of use, and fast wins.
4. Automate a Small Task – Start with one: evidence, access, reviews, reminders.
5. Measure the Impact – Track time saved, fewer errors, audit readiness.
6. Expand With Confidence – Use the win to automate the next workflow.

One small win. Then another. And another.

That’s the magic of the GRC Automation Flywheel. It compounds. It scales. It sticks.

So start today. Choose one painful workflow. Apply the flywheel. See what happens.

Then? Do it again.

Because GRC doesn’t need to feel like a burden.

It can be the engine that moves your business forward — faster, smarter, and more in control than ever before.

👉 Ready to move faster and smarter with GRC automation?
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