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Common Automation Workflows

Real-world examples and best practices for automation workflows

Common Automation Workflows

Learn from real-world automation examples to build effective compliance workflows.

Monthly Compliance Review

Purpose: Regular review of controls to ensure continued effectiveness

Frequency: Monthly (1st of each month) Advance Notice: 14 days Use Case: SOC 2, ISO 27001, general compliance programs

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Monthly Control Review"
  2. Recurrence: Every month on the 1st
  3. Attach to high-priority controls
  4. Assign to control owners

Task Created: "Monthly Control Review - [Control Name] - [Month Year]"

What reviewers do:

  • Verify control is still implemented
  • Check for any changes needed
  • Review recent evidence
  • Mark complete when satisfied

Tip: For controls with less risk, use quarterly instead of monthly.

Quarterly Risk Assessment

Purpose: Regular reassessment of identified risks

Frequency: Quarterly (1st of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) Advance Notice: 21 days Use Case: Enterprise risk management, ISO 27001

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Quarterly Risk Review"
  2. Recurrence: Every 3 months on the 1st
  3. Attach to risk register or specific high-priority risks
  4. Assign to risk owners or compliance team

Task Created: "Quarterly Risk Assessment - Q[1-4] [Year]"

What reviewers do:

  • Reassess likelihood and impact
  • Review mitigation effectiveness
  • Update risk treatment plans
  • Document any changes

Benefit: Ensures risks don't become stale; catches emerging threats early.

Annual Policy Review

Purpose: Ensure policies remain current and compliant

Frequency: Annually (choose consistent date, e.g., January 15) Advance Notice: 45-60 days Use Case: All compliance frameworks require periodic policy review

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Annual Policy Review"
  2. Recurrence: Yearly on January 15
  3. Attach to policy control or policy registry
  4. Assign to policy owners and legal/compliance team

Task Created: "Annual Policy Review - [Policy Name] - [Year]"

What reviewers do:

  • Review policy for accuracy
  • Update for regulatory changes
  • Verify approval and signatures
  • Publish updated version

Tip: Start the review 60 days in advance - policy updates often need multiple review cycles.

Weekly Access Review (High-Risk Systems)

Purpose: Frequent review of user access for critical systems

Frequency: Weekly (every Monday) Advance Notice: 7 days Use Case: PCI-DSS, high-security environments

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Weekly Access Review - [System Name]"
  2. Recurrence: Every Monday
  3. Attach to access control for that system
  4. Assign to system administrator

Task Created: "Weekly Access Review - [System] - Week of [Date]"

What reviewers do:

  • Review new user accounts created
  • Verify access levels are appropriate
  • Remove accounts for terminated users
  • Flag anomalies

When to use: Only for highest-risk systems - weekly reviews are intensive.

Semi-Annual Vendor Assessment

Purpose: Regular evaluation of vendor compliance and performance

Frequency: Every 6 months (e.g., January 1 and July 1) Advance Notice: 30 days Use Case: Vendor risk management, third-party compliance

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Semi-Annual Vendor Review"
  2. Recurrence: Every 6 months on the 1st
  3. Attach to vendor registry or specific critical vendors
  4. Assign to procurement/compliance team

Task Created: "Semi-Annual Vendor Assessment - [Vendor Name] - [Period]"

What reviewers do:

  • Review vendor SOC 2/certifications
  • Assess service performance
  • Update risk rating
  • Renew or renegotiate contracts

Tip: Different vendors may need different frequencies based on criticality.

Asset Inventory Update

Purpose: Keep asset registry current and accurate

Frequency: Monthly or Quarterly Advance Notice: 14 days Use Case: Asset management, ISO 27001

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Asset Registry Review"
  2. Recurrence: Monthly on the 15th (or quarterly)
  3. Attach to asset registry
  4. Assign to IT operations

Task Created: "Asset Inventory Update - [Month/Quarter]"

What reviewers do:

  • Add new assets acquired
  • Remove decommissioned assets
  • Update asset criticality ratings
  • Verify asset owners

Variation: Create separate automations for hardware vs. software vs. data assets.

Incident Follow-Up Review

Purpose: Ensure post-incident actions are completed

Frequency: 30 days after incident, then 90 days Advance Notice: 7 days Use Case: Security incident management, continuous improvement

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "30-Day Incident Follow-Up"
  2. Recurrence: One-time, 30 days after incident
  3. Attach to specific incident
  4. Assign to incident response team

Task Created: "Incident Follow-Up Review - [Incident ID] - 30 Days"

What reviewers do:

  • Verify corrective actions completed
  • Review lessons learned
  • Update procedures if needed
  • Close or escalate

Note: This is more complex - often requires manual trigger or custom automation.

Backup Verification

Purpose: Regular testing of backup restoration process

Frequency: Monthly Advance Notice: 7 days Use Case: Business continuity, disaster recovery

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Monthly Backup Verification"
  2. Recurrence: Last Friday of each month
  3. Attach to backup/DR control
  4. Assign to IT operations

Task Created: "Backup Verification Test - [Month]"

What reviewers do:

  • Test restore of sample data
  • Verify backup integrity
  • Document test results
  • Escalate any failures

Critical: Don't skip these - untested backups aren't real backups.

Compliance Training Reminder

Purpose: Ensure employees complete required training

Frequency: Annually, or when new employees join Advance Notice: 30 days Use Case: GDPR, SOC 2, general compliance

Setup:

  1. Create automation: "Annual Compliance Training"
  2. Recurrence: Yearly on January 1
  3. Attach to training/awareness control
  4. Assign to HR or compliance team

Task Created: "Annual Compliance Training Reminder - [Year]"

What reviewers do:

  • Send training reminders to all employees
  • Track completion rates
  • Follow up with non-completers
  • Document training records

Tip: Consider quarterly refreshers for high-risk topics like phishing awareness.

Best Practice Recommendations

Start Simple

Begin with one or two automations:

  1. Monthly control review (most impactful)
  2. Quarterly risk assessment

Add more as you gain confidence.

Match Frequency to Risk

  • High Risk → Weekly or Monthly
  • Medium Risk → Monthly or Quarterly
  • Low Risk → Quarterly or Annually

Group Similar Controls

If multiple controls need the same review, use one automation attached to a "control group" or registry.

Align with Business Cycles

  • Month-end: Avoid (teams are busy)
  • Quarter-end: Avoid for monthly tasks
  • Start of month/quarter: Often works well
  • Mid-month: Good for avoiding busy periods

Test Before Full Deployment

  1. Create automation as inactive
  2. Review all settings
  3. Activate and monitor first task closely
  4. Adjust based on feedback
  5. Roll out to more controls

Document Your Rationale

In each automation's description, note:

  • Why this frequency?
  • Why this advance notice?
  • Which regulation/standard requires it?
  • Any special considerations?

This helps future team members understand decisions.

Combining Automations

Some controls benefit from multiple automations at different frequencies:

Example: Critical Database

  1. Weekly: Access review (new/removed users)
  2. Monthly: Security configuration review
  3. Quarterly: Performance and capacity assessment
  4. Annually: Full security audit

Each serves a different purpose, and together they provide comprehensive oversight.

Automation Templates You Might Find

Your administrator may have created templates for:

  • SOC 2 compliance reviews
  • ISO 27001 control assessments
  • GDPR data processing reviews
  • PCI-DSS security checks
  • HIPAA privacy assessments
  • Custom organizational requirements

Use templates whenever available - they're based on proven patterns.

Success Metrics

Track these to ensure your automations are effective:

  1. Completion Rate: >90% is excellent
  2. On-Time Completion: Tasks done before due date
  3. Time to Complete: How long tasks take on average
  4. Health Status: Mostly Healthy, few Warnings, no Failing
  5. Coverage: All high-risk controls have automation

Next Steps

Now that you understand common workflows:

  1. Identify your needs: What reviews are you doing manually?
  2. Choose patterns: Which workflows above fit your needs?
  3. Start small: Pick 1-2 automations to implement
  4. Monitor and adjust: Watch health metrics, refine schedules
  5. Scale up: Add more automations as processes mature

For implementation help, review: