Scrut Automation has entered the market with bold claims about “smart GRC” (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) and unifying your risk posture into a single window. For organisations juggling spreadsheets and scattered tools, the promise of a cohesive, automated platform is incredibly tempting.
But before you allocate a significant portion of your cybersecurity budget to Scrut, it is vital to peel back the “smart” branding and understand the mechanical reality of what you are buying.
The “Unified View” vs. The Spreadsheet Reality
Scrut markets itself on providing a unified view of your compliance and risk. However, like its competitors, the foundation of the platform is a list of controls that require evidence and policy documentation.
We advise all our clients to apply the “Spreadsheet Test.” If you remove the glossy interface and the dashboard charts, are you simply paying for a tool to track whether a task is “done” or “not done”?
While Scrut aggregates data effectively, the actual utility for a small-to-medium business often overlaps significantly with what can be achieved using a well-structured spreadsheet. The difference is that the spreadsheet doesn’t come with a recurring annual subscription fee in the tens of thousands.
Automation Does Not Equal Security
Scrut places a heavy emphasis on automation, connecting to your cloud infrastructure to monitor controls. While this provides a snapshot of your configuration, it does not equal security.
A platform can tell you that you are missing a policy or that a server is open to the internet, but it cannot:
- Contextualise that risk to your specific business operations.
- Fix the underlying architectural flaw.
- Train your developers on secure coding practices to prevent the issue from recurring.
You are paying for a monitoring tool, not a security solution. The heavy lifting—the actual implementation of security controls—still falls to your internal team or external consultants.
Beware the “Trust Vault” Sales Pitch
Scrut offers a feature often called a “Trust Vault” or similar, which allows you to showcase your compliance status to customers. Sales teams often leverage this as a “must-have” for closing deals.
Do not let this sway your decision. Your clients and partners are looking for a valid ISO 27001 certificate or a SOC 2 report signed by an accredited auditor. They are rarely interested in a vendor-specific link to a dashboard. The value lies in the certification, not the software used to display it.
The Cost of “Smart” GRC
The danger of “all-in-one” platforms like Scrut is that they can consume the budget required for genuine defensive measures. If you spend heavily on a GRC tool, you may be forced to cut corners on critical activities like high-quality penetration testing or incident response planning.
Paying for a platform that tracks risks without having the budget to actually mitigate those risks is a common pitfall. It creates an illusion of management without the substance of protection.
Test the “Old Way” First
Before you commit to a long-term contract for “smart GRC,” we recommend verifying if you actually need it. Often, a clear, well-maintained spreadsheet provides the same level of clarity for zero cost.
Get your free ISO 27001 spreadsheet here
If you decide that a platform is necessary, take a look at the Vertex Compliance platform (ALKE): Explore the Vertex Compliance Platform (ALKE)