From spreadsheets to strategy: Your guide to choosing a GRC system.

“Before Protecht, each business unit managed risk in its own spreadsheet… Now, we provide committees with up-to-date information and visual insights. It’s been life-changing for the organization.”
– Rishad Paul Smartt, Senior Risk & Compliance Manager, AA New Zealand 

Key information and topics covered 

Managing risk by using spreadsheets and email feel familiar, but in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) they create blind spots: no audit trail, no version control, and no easy way to link risks, controls and incidents. Reporting lags; workflows disappear into inboxes. Regulators expect real-time assurance: manual tools cannot keep up. 

This guide shows how to move from manual chaos of risk spreadsheets to an integrated GRC software platform. You’ll learn what good looks like (structured, linked, auditable data), how to prioritize usability and no-code configuration, and which AI-enhanced capabilities are worth your attention now and later. 

Protecht's guide then walks you through a pragmatic buying process: anchor on real use cases, run a structured vendor selection process, avoid over- or under-buying, and build consensus with stakeholders.

Finally, it maps a realistic first-year success plan, from quick wins (unified registers, attestations, dashboards) to scaling assurance and AI-supported insight.

Download the guide and take the first step to a single source of truth. 

What you will learn 

• Diagnose risk spreadsheet pain and quantify the ROI of GRC software to build a compelling case for change 
• Prioritize platform essentials (linked registers, templates, no-code updates) to avoid complexity 
• Shortlist vendors by real use cases, not feature bingo             
• Run better vendor selection with scorecards and practical questions your teams actually use                              
• Actively participate in vendor software demos with scorecards and practical questions your teams actually use 
• Plan a 12-month rollout that delivers visible wins and board-ready reporting 
• Understand where AI adds value in year one (logging, testing, dashboards), and what to park 

Who should read 

• Risk leaders (CROs/Risk managers): Replace reconciliation with real-time visibility and linked registers 
• Compliance leaders (CCOs/managers): Move to a single obligations register and streamlined attestations 
• Information security leaders: Map controls to ISO 27001/NIST CSF and simplify assurance                      
• Executives and boards: Get trustworthy dashboards aligned to performance and appetite  

How Protecht helps