Comparison
Compliance is not a spreadsheet with 50 tabs.
Excel is great for numbers. For GDPR, DORA and NIS2 compliance ; less and less so. Data duplicates, deadlines slip, and before an inspection you spend days gathering evidence. See what a dedicated engine changes.
Problem
Where spreadsheets fail
- EXCELThe same data across multiple tabs, copied by hand and diverging over time.
- EXCELNo linkage: changing a process does not update the DPIA, the register or the deadlines.
- EXCELZero alerts: you learn about the 72-hour deadline, expired retention or an overdue scan too late.
- EXCELNo version control or roles: impossible to tell who changed what and when.
- EXCELPainful audits: gathering evidence for an inspection takes days, not minutes.
Side by side
Excel vs RealSec
- Data source Excel: Multiple sheets, data duplicated. RealSec: Single core, data entered once.
- Linkage Excel: None, manual synchronisation. RealSec: Processes ; systems ; suppliers ; regulations connected.
- Deadlines Excel: Tracked manually, easy to miss. RealSec: Counters and alerts (72h, retention, RTO) automatically.
- Risk Excel: Calculated by hand, always stale. RealSec: Recalculated after every data change.
- Accountability Excel: No change history. RealSec: Versioning, roles, change log.
- Audit Excel: Days of evidence gathering. RealSec: DOCX / XLSX / JSON export on demand.
- Multiple regulations Excel: Separate file per regulation. RealSec: GDPR, DORA, NIS2, AI Act, ISO in one place.
FAQ
Excel and compliance ; questions
Not explicitly, but risky in practice. GDPR, NIS2 and DORA require accountability, accuracy and timeliness that are hard to maintain across diverging spreadsheets. Documentation gaps and late notifications are the most common reasons organisations end up with a fine.
A single data core instead of duplication, automated signals and deadline tracking, risk recalculation after every change, and built-in accountability with audit-ready exports.
Yes. Process maps and registers can be imported from spreadsheets and then managed inside a single engine from that point on.
Leave the spreadsheets. Get the engine.
30-minute demo on real data. We will show the Excel import and how things run automatically from there.