GRCOPILOT Insights

Insights, guidance and product updates on cybersecurity, GRC and compliance.

The Essential Eight Maturity Model: a complete guide
Frameworks

The Essential Eight Maturity Model: a complete guide

What the eight mitigation strategies are, how the four maturity levels differ, why your rating is the lowest level you achieve across all eight, and how to plan an uplift that survives assessment.
EU cloud certification and sovereignty: what buyers are actually asking for
Frameworks

EU cloud certification and sovereignty: what buyers are actually asking for

European buyers increasingly ask where data sits, who can access it and under whose jurisdiction. What EU cloud certification schemes aim to standardise, and what to answer while the picture settles.
PCI DSS: the complete guide
Frameworks

PCI DSS: the complete guide

Who it applies to, how merchant levels and validation routes work, why scope reduction is worth more than any control you implement, and what changed in version 4.
SOC 2: the complete guide
Frameworks

SOC 2: the complete guide

What a SOC 2 report is, how Type I and Type II differ, which trust services criteria to include, what the observation window means for your timeline, and how exceptions appear in a report your customers will read.
ISO 27001: the complete guide
Frameworks

ISO 27001: the complete guide

Everything needed to go from "we should get certified" to holding the certificate: what the standard requires, what it costs, how the audit cycle works, and where programmes fail. With links to detailed guidance on every stage.
Transitioning from ISO 27001:2013 to 2022: what actually has to change
Frameworks

Transitioning from ISO 27001:2013 to 2022: what actually has to change

The control set was restructured and eleven controls are new. What the transition genuinely requires, what can stay as it is, and the sequencing that avoids doing the work twice.
ISO 27001 mandatory documents: what you must have, and what you do not
Frameworks

ISO 27001 mandatory documents: what you must have, and what you do not

The standard names a specific, surprisingly short list of required documents and records. What is genuinely mandatory, what is optional, and why writing more than you need creates a maintenance burden that fails later.
PCI DSS v4: what changed, and the requirements that catch people out
Frameworks

PCI DSS v4: what changed, and the requirements that catch people out

The customised approach, targeted risk analyses, payment-page script controls and much broader MFA. What is genuinely new versus restated, and where v4 costs real engineering effort.
NIST CSF 2.0 explained: six functions, and why Govern was added
Frameworks

NIST CSF 2.0 explained: six functions, and why Govern was added

The framework everyone quotes gained a sixth function and dropped "critical infrastructure" from its title. What Govern requires, how Tiers and Profiles actually work, and when CSF is the wrong choice.
ISO 27001 Annex A: the 93 controls, and what actually changed in 2022
Frameworks

ISO 27001 Annex A: the 93 controls, and what actually changed in 2022

Four themes instead of fourteen domains, 93 controls instead of 114, and eleven genuinely new ones. What the restructure means for your Statement of Applicability and where the new controls bite.
SWIFT CSP: the annual attestation banks cannot skip
Frameworks

SWIFT CSP: the annual attestation banks cannot skip

The SWIFT Customer Security Programme requires annual attestation against the Customer Security Controls Framework, with independent assessment. What it covers, how the architecture types work, and where attestations fail.
ISO 27701: turning privacy obligations into a certifiable system
Frameworks

ISO 27701: turning privacy obligations into a certifiable system

ISO 27701 extends an ISO 27001 ISMS into a privacy information management system. What it adds, how controller and processor roles change your obligations, and why it answers privacy due diligence efficiently.
IEC 62443 explained: zones, conduits and security levels
Frameworks

IEC 62443 explained: zones, conduits and security levels

The industrial cybersecurity standard structured around segmentation and graded security levels. How zones and conduits work, what each role must do, and why it fits OT where IT standards do not.
CIS Controls and Benchmarks: the most practical place to start
Frameworks

CIS Controls and Benchmarks: the most practical place to start

The CIS Controls tell you what to do and in what order; the Benchmarks tell you exactly how to configure systems. Free, prioritised, and the fastest route from nothing to measurable security.
Cloud security compliance and the shared responsibility trap
Frameworks

Cloud security compliance and the shared responsibility trap

Who is responsible for what in the cloud, why "the provider is certified" does not make you compliant, the misconfigurations that cause most cloud breaches, and the frameworks that govern cloud specifically.
ISO 22301 and business continuity: RTO, RPO and the BIA
Frameworks

ISO 22301 and business continuity: RTO, RPO and the BIA

How ISO 22301 structures business continuity - the business impact analysis, recovery objectives, plans and exercises - and why resilience is now a control area in ISO 27001, the NCA ECC, SAMA CSF and DORA.
ISO 42001: the AI management system standard explained
Frameworks

ISO 42001: the AI management system standard explained

ISO/IEC 42001 is the first certifiable standard for managing artificial intelligence responsibly. What it requires, how it differs from ISO 27001, who needs it, and how it supports EU AI Act readiness.
PCI DSS gap assessment: how to run one properly
Frameworks

PCI DSS gap assessment: how to run one properly

How to run a PCI DSS gap assessment - defining the cardholder data environment, working through the twelve requirements, choosing the right SAQ, and building a remediation plan that survives a QSA review.
SOC 2 readiness: what to fix before the auditor arrives
Frameworks

SOC 2 readiness: what to fix before the auditor arrives

A practical SOC 2 readiness guide - Type I versus Type II, choosing your Trust Services Criteria, the observation window, and the control gaps that most often derail a first audit.
Getting started with ISO 27001
Frameworks

Getting started with ISO 27001

A practical, jargon-free introduction to ISO/IEC 27001 - what the standard is, why certification matters, and the concrete steps from first principles to a working information security management system (ISMS).
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