A growth-stage real estate firm had been managing compliance through spreadsheets, disconnected folders, and a deprecated GRC tool that had never become a real operating system. When a recent NIST CSF 2.0 audit was described internally as a train wreck, the team knew the status quo was no longer an option. They needed a lower-overhead compliance system that could handle frameworks, controls, evidence, and audit packaging inside a Microsoft-heavy environment, without forcing them into a heavyweight platform they did not need.
[ The Problem ]
A deprecated tool, a painful audit, and no clear path forward
The firm's compliance workflow had never been consolidated. Policy acknowledgements, MFA tracking, background checks, and security training were all managed manually across spreadsheets and folders. A deprecated GRC deployment had delivered little value before it was discontinued, leaving the team with no durable system for frameworks or evidence management.
Every audit required rebuilding the same work from scratch. With NIST 800-171 already in scope and CMMC implications on the horizon due to DoD-related contracts, the cost of that fragmentation was only going to grow. The business consequence was clear: without a repeatable compliance operating model, each new audit cycle would carry the same overhead and the same risk of failure.
[ What they needed ]
The team was actively working to replace a broken compliance model before the next audit cycle hit.
- Replace a deprecated GRC tool with a system that would actually be used
- Eliminate manual tracking of personnel controls across disconnected tools
- Consolidate framework management for NIST CSF, NIST 800-171, and CMMC in one place
- Automate evidence collection inside a Microsoft-centric environment
- Reduce the overhead of recurring questionnaires from cyber insurance and financial auditors
- Build a repeatable audit packaging process so future audits would not start from zero
[ Why Drata won ]
Drata won by combining genuine fit to the firm's Microsoft environment and compliance pain with a commercial structure flexible enough to clear an unbudgeted approval.
Microsoft stack alignment made automation credible, not abstract: the buyer specifically tested whether Drata's integrations would work inside their Azure and Microsoft 365 environment. Least-privilege integrations for user sync and control testing answered that question directly and removed the biggest technical doubt.
Migration path from the deprecated tool reduced switching risk: Drata's existing relationship with the prior vendor's ecosystem gave the team a practical transition story. This reframed the purchase from a net-new platform decision to a replacement of a dead-end tool, which also helped justify the spend internally.
Commercial flexibility unlocked an unbudgeted deal: the purchase was not pre-planned, and the firm's accounting treatment meant a single annual invoice was difficult to absorb. Drata worked through invoice structure, payment timing, and pricing adjustments until the deal fit within what the buyer could realistically approve.
Narrow, focused value case matched what the buyer actually needed: the team was not looking for full GRC consolidation. Drata won by centering the case on frameworks, controls, evidence, and audit readiness, without requiring the firm to displace the risk, policy, or vendor management tools already in place.
[ How Drata solved it ]
Drata GRC gave the team a centralized system for controls, evidence, and audit readiness across NIST CSF, NIST 800-171, and CMMC, with cross-framework control mapping that eliminated the need to rebuild evidence separately for each standard. Drata's Microsoft integrations connected directly to Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, and Defender, making automated checks around MFA and device posture credible inside the firm's actual stack rather than theoretical.
Audit Hub and centralized artifact management addressed the specific pain from the recent audit, replacing the folder-and-spreadsheet model with a structured, repeatable packaging process. Trust Center and questionnaire automation added secondary value by handling recurring diligence requests from cyber insurance and financial auditors without pulling the security team into manual responses each time. A clear migration path away from the deprecated GRC tool, supported by Drata's existing relationship with the prior vendor's ecosystem, gave the team confidence that the transition was practical, not aspirational.
[ Before and after Drata ]
Before Drata, every audit cycle required rebuilding compliance evidence from scratch across spreadsheets, folders, and a deprecated tool that had never delivered a repeatable process. After, the firm has a single system for framework management, automated evidence collection, and audit packaging that carries forward from one cycle to the next.
[ Business outcome ]
The firm replaced a fragmented, manual compliance model with a single system covering frameworks, controls, evidence, and audit readiness. Automated evidence collection across the Microsoft stack removed the manual overhead that had made every previous audit feel like starting over.
With cross-framework control mapping in place, the team can now address NIST CSF, NIST 800-171, and future CMMC requirements from a shared evidence base rather than rebuilding separately for each. The next audit cycle begins with a functioning operating system, not a spreadsheet cleanup project.