Why We Keep Saying “No” to Off-the-Shelf GRC ToolsSharePoint isn’t just the cheaper option configured right, it’s the better one. Here’s when to build vs. buy (and why we already built it for you).
Every GRC tool vendor will tell you SharePoint isn’t enough.
Ask yourself why they are so afraid of a document library.
Here’s what they don’t want you to know: you likely already own the infrastructure for world-class compliance.
Microsoft invested heavily in security, retention, and automation. Most organizations just haven’t connected the dots.
We connected them.
And we already connected them for you.
This isn’t about being cheap. It’s about being strategic.
It’s also about not rebuilding the same wheel fifty times.
The “Free” GRC Tool That Costs You $80,000
Let’s do the math no vendor wants you to run.
| Dedicated GRC Tool | SharePoint + Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|
| $15–$35 per user / month | You already paid for it |
| Implementation fees: $20,000–$50,000 | Your team already uses it |
| Annual renewal escalations: 5–10% | The configuration? We already did it. |
| Separate login, training, and ecosystem | Same tenant. Same identity. Same workflows. |
We’re not arguing against compliance software.
We’re arguing against buying what you already own and paying to build what we already built.
The Real Difference: Template vs. Tailored
Off-the-shelf GRC tools sell you someone else’s idea of compliance.
The framework is generic. The risk taxonomy is generic. The evidence structure assumes you look like everyone else.
But here’s the key: you don’t have to choose between “generic template” and “blank page.”
Vendors frame flexibility as “risk”:
“If you build it yourself, you might miss something.”
We frame flexibility as control.
And we frame pre-built expert configuration as the shortcut you actually need.
What “Tailored” Looks Like (In Practice)
- Need policy approvals routed to legal only for contracts over $1M? Built in.
- Need evidence retention aligned to Canadian privacy expectations (not California’s)? That’s how we built it.
- Need risk language that matches engineering tickets (Jira)? Already mapped.
A GRC tool asks you to adapt to its logic. A blank SharePoint site asks you to build logic from scratch.
Our ISMS platform just asks you to log in.
Where SharePoint Actually Wins (Not Just “Good Enough”)
Let’s stop apologizing for SharePoint. In three areas, it can outperform dedicated tools especially when configured by people who have done it many times.
1) The Audit Trail Nobody Can Argue With
Many tools log changes inside their app. SharePoint, backed by Microsoft governance capabilities, can log far more:
who edited, who moved, who viewed, and what changed with version history and retention behavior.
Our configuration sets this up on day one: no guessing, no “did we turn versioning on?”, and no scrambling before the audit.
2) User Experience Without Training
Your team already knows how to work in Microsoft 365. That matters.
Every hour spent learning a new portal is an hour not spent doing real work.
- Open a link in Teams
- Review a document
- Click “Approve”
- Evidence is stored automatically
3) The Power Platform Multiplier
Standalone SharePoint is a library. SharePoint plus Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI becomes a real compliance platform.
- Automated evidence reminders and collection
- Executive dashboards with live risk and status views
- Control crosswalk views (ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, CIS)
- Workflows that enforce ownership, approvals, and deadlines
The only thing a vendor provides that we can’t replicate is their quarterly invoice.
The only thing a blank SharePoint site provides that we can’t replicate is the headache.
Before you sign a five-figure contract with a GRC vendor, see what your Microsoft 365 environment can do when it’s configured properly.
When We Actually Recommend Buying a Dedicated GRC Tool
We configure SharePoint for compliance. We also sell the result so you don’t have to build it yourself.
So when do we tell clients to buy a dedicated tool instead?
Almost never.
But here’s the exception: you operate in a hyper-regulated niche where a regulator expects a specific commercial tool by name.
If the auditor is looking for a specific logo, buy the logo.
If the auditor is looking for control effectiveness, auditability, and evidence integrity, SharePoint can deliver and our implementation delivers it without the generic limitations.
The Canadian Cyber Approach: Compliance That Lives Where You Work
We don’t sell software licenses. We don’t get commissions from Microsoft or GRC vendors.
We sell one thing: a SharePoint environment that does the job of a six-figure GRC suite deployable in days.
What we actually do:
- Deploy our ISMS SharePoint Platform (no tenancy audits, no workflow building, no mapping from scratch)
- Adapt it to your standard (ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, CIS)
- Train your team on what’s already there (where everything lives and how approvals work)
- Leave you in control (your tenant, your data, your compliance)
The Question Isn’t “Can SharePoint Do Compliance?”
The real question is: why would you pay twice for the same capability?
And why pay someone to build it from scratch when we already built it?
Your Microsoft licenses may be the most underutilized compliance asset you own.
Our ISMS SharePoint Platform is the key.
P.S. Vendors know SharePoint is capable. That’s why they warn you about complexity.
The complexity is real our solution is the shortcut.
Book 15 minutes and we’ll show you the dashboard.
Ready to Compare Before You Commit?
Before you sign a vendor contract or pay a consultant to build a custom SharePoint solution from scratch take a look at what we already built inside Microsoft 365.
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