Policies & Risk Frameworks
Articles from the SimpleRisk blog tagged Policies & Risk Frameworks: governance, risk management, and compliance insights.
Navigating Third-Party Risk with Robust Governance
IT Governance and Business Strategy: A CISO Playbook
From 16 Vendor RFIs to One Assessment
Tired of juggling 16 separate vendor RFIs every year? Discover how SimpleRisk transformed one client’s chaotic third-party assessments into a single, streamlined process.
From Chaos to Control: Centralize Your GRC
If Excel were enough for risk management, the GRC industry wouldn’t exist. Here’s why relying on spreadsheets and generic SaaS tools can actually increase risk, and how centralization restores control.
Top 5 Tips for Building a Risk Management Plan
A successful risk management plan starts with clarity: knowing where you’re vulnerable and how those vulnerabilities translate into threats. In this post, we share five practical tips to help you design a plan that’s both measurable and actionable.
Why 2025 Needs One Complete Risk Assessment
Your IT, supply chain, and operations teams may all see the same risks—but they don’t measure them the same way. That gap could be the biggest security vulnerability in your organization today.
How to Conduct a Proper Cybersecurity Risk Analysis
Risk analysis and risk evaluation aren’t interchangeable terms. They’re distinct stages within the broader process of risk assessment. This blog breaks down the differences, why they matter in cybersecurity, and how to properly analyze risks using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
SimpleRisk: Your Foundation for NIST CSF Compliance
Struggling to align with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework? Discover how SimpleRisk streamlines governance, risk, and compliance to help you document, track, and manage your cybersecurity controls with ease.
What AI Can (and Can't) Do for Control Mapping
Struggling to match your policies to hundreds (or thousands) of controls? Learn how we combined AI, old-school keyword analysis, and smart engineering in SimpleRisk to turn a months-long task into minutes.
Risk Management Is Just Like Camping—But With Higher Stakes
What do flash floods, frozen tents, and soggy sleeping bags have to do with business? Turns out, camping mishaps are full of risk management lessons every leader should know.
Free Security Policy Templates from SimpleRisk
Building an information security program from scratch can be overwhelming, but SimpleRisk is here to help. Discover how our free, ready-to-use templates can simplify the process and get your security program up and running quickly.
Third-Party Risk Lessons from the Rock Face
Choosing the right third-party vendors is a lot like picking a reliable climbing partner—technical skills matter, but alignment in risk mindset is just as crucial. Learn how a harrowing descent from a multi-pitch climb revealed key lessons in risk management, trust, and the value of security certifications.
Integrate HITRUST CSF and SCF in Your GRC Strategy
Struggling to align multiple compliance frameworks in your GRC program? Learn how to integrate HITRUST CSF and the Secure Controls Framework in SimpleRisk to streamline compliance, enhance security, and leverage AI for a more efficient risk management strategy.
From Audit Fatigue to Efficiency with SimpleRisk
Tired of audit fatigue and juggling multiple frameworks? Discover how SimpleRisk streamlines compliance by integrating the Secure Controls Framework (SCF) and centralizing audit activities, making it the ultimate tool for auditors seeking efficiency and precision.
Using AI with FAIR for Precision and Scalability
Discover how combining the FAIR methodology with artificial intelligence revolutionizes risk management by providing precise, scalable, and data-driven insights. Learn how this powerful synergy enhances decision-making, optimizes resource allocation, and transforms how organizations approach risk quantification.
The River Crisis That Taught Me to Always Have a Plan B
When our outboard motor failed in the middle of the Trinity River, leaving us adrift in a strong current, a cascade of unexpected challenges tested every backup plan we had. This story of quick thinking, layered preparedness, and lessons learned is a perfect metaphor for mastering risk management in life and business.
ISO 27001 Compliance in 18 Months
When a lost deal with the world’s largest healthcare company revealed a critical gap in SimpleRisk’s compliance posture, it set us on an 18-month journey to achieve ISO 27001 certification. From assessing our maturity and closing governance gaps to leveraging AI and tackling a rigorous third-party audit, we turned a challenge into an opportunity to enhance our operations and platform.
Demystifying Residual Risk with SimpleRisk
Understanding residual risk is crucial in effective risk management, but calculating it can be complex, especially when considering multiple mitigating controls. In this post, we explore how SimpleRisk simplifies the process with an easy-to-understand mitigation percent approach that streamlines your risk reduction efforts.
8 Simple Ways to Effectively Launch Your GRC Program
Learn the 8 fundamentals we recommend to establish an effective Enterprise Risk Management process from the ground up, which will set the stage for a successful GRC program rollout.
The Benefits of a Common Control Framework for GRC
Struggling with managing compliance across multiple different control frameworks? Learn how a common control framework can help you to simplify your compliance, saving you time and money.
Governance 101: Back to Basics
Let’s go back to the basics and talk about what governance is and how you can use it to ensure that the information that reaches your executive team and other key stakeholders is complete, accurate and timely.
How To Calculate Inherent vs. Residual Risk
Learn how to minimize the level of effort required to track a risk’s progress over time and how to measure the effectiveness of your risk mitigation.
Compliance 101: Back to Basics
Let’s go back to the basics and break down what enterprise compliance is and how you can use it to ensure your organization is conforming with its stated requirements.
Why Spreadsheets Are Killing Your GRC Practice
Many of the prospects we speak with are currently using spreadsheets to manage their risks. In this blog post we explore why that is a bad idea and how SimpleRisk provides a simple, effective and affordable alternative.
These CISOs GRC is Failing Them And I Know Why
Risk Management 101: Back to Basics
Let’s go back to the basics and break down what enterprise risk management is and how you can use it to mitigate the risks that threaten your organization.
How SimpleRisk Can Meet Your Custom GRC Requirements
Risk management isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s about finding your way. At SimpleRisk, we ensure our platform adapts to your unique needs, even offering Custom Development to deliver the exact functionality your organization requires, all while staying intuitive and cost-effective.
Normalizing Risk Scoring Across Different Methodologies
Risk scoring often involves complex matrices, but prioritizing risks effectively is key. In this post, we explore how SimpleRisk’s Classic Risk Scoring methodology ensures consistency across various scoring systems, allowing you to prioritize risks on a uniform scale.
Quickly Customize Your Risk Program in SimpleRisk
SimpleRisk started as three PHP pages and evolved into a flexible risk management tool for any industry. With the Customization Extra, users can easily tailor workflows to meet their unique needs—simplifying complex requirements!
GRC is Dead, Long Live GRC!
Gartner’s John A. Wheeler highlights the decline of GRC and the rise of Integrated Risk Management (IRM)—a shift I’ve seen firsthand. Learn how SimpleRisk is revolutionizing risk management with a simple, intuitive approach.
Should Vulnerabilities and Risks be Managed in the Same Place?
Should vulnerabilities be managed as risks? While both are essential to cybersecurity, understanding their differences and how they complement each other is key to deciding whether to track them together in a single risk management system.
Why Management Doesn't Understand Your Security Woes
Feeling overwhelmed by security vulnerabilities that seem beyond your control? Learn how implementing a formal risk management program can help you communicate more effectively with management and shift the focus to actionable risk mitigation strategies.
The Origin of SimpleRisk - A Founder's Story
Every superhero has an origin story, and so does SimpleRisk—born out of a need for better risk management tools. Discover how a simple web form turned into a powerful, open-source solution that’s now revolutionizing risk management for organizations everywhere.