More collaboration in fortControl — new sharing features in the September 2025 release

Coordinating risks with subject matter experts, working on measures with external partners or reviewing findings together: information security management is teamwork.

In practice, however, this collaboration often still runs through emails, Excel files and different document versions. Information has to be forwarded, feedback merged manually and changes added afterwards.

With the September 2025 release, fortControl has therefore significantly extended its collaboration features. In addition to control analyses, measures, risks, threats, assets, findings and requirements can now be shared with other people and edited together.

Collaboration thus takes place where the information already is: directly in fortControl.

More than sharing control analyses

Control analyses could already be shared for editing. With the new release this function has been extended to further central areas of fortControl.

The following can now be shared:

• Measures
• Risks
• Threats
• Assets
• Findings
• Requirements
• Control analyses

This means considerably more ISMS tasks can be handled directly with the people responsible. A risk can be coordinated with a subject matter expert, a measure detailed with an external partner or a finding reviewed with the responsible unit.

That reduces media discontinuities and keeps information where it will later be processed further.

How a sharing activity works

Working together in real time

Shared content can be edited by up to five people at the same time. Changes and entries become visible live. Everyone involved can see during editing which information has been added and where details are still missing.

This makes it easier in particular to coordinate cases where several people need to contribute their expertise. Instead of collecting answers one after another and merging them manually, participants can work on shared content in parallel.

That saves coordination loops and reduces duplicated work.

Release only what is really needed

Collaboration does not mean that everyone involved should automatically have access to all information or be able to edit every field. In fortControl it is therefore possible to select exactly which fields are shared.

Depending on the use case, all relevant fields can be released, only selected information made visible, or fields provided in read-only mode.

This allows collaboration to be tailored to the task at hand. An external person receives exactly the information required for their work, while other content remains protected.

That provides more flexibility without giving up control over your own data and processes.

All shared content at a glance in the cockpit

The more content is shared, the more important a central overview becomes. The cockpit bundles all sharing activities and shows their current status.

At a glance it is clear:

• Which activities are still open?
• Which have been completed?
• Which content has been archived?
• Where is feedback still outstanding?

This makes collaboration not only easier but also manageable. Those responsible no longer have to search through individual email threads or files for the current state — they see directly where action is still needed.

Adopt results directly

Another advantage: feedback no longer has to be transferred manually. Results developed together can be adopted directly in fortControl.

That removes the classic copy and paste between questionnaire, email, Excel file and risk register. Fewer media discontinuities mean less manual effort and at the same time fewer sources of error.

Information stays structured and traceable throughout the entire process.

What does that mean in daily work?

The extended collaboration features above all simplify processes that involve several people or organisations. Typical use cases include:

Risk assessments
Subject matter experts can be involved directly in assessing a risk.

Measure management
Owners or external partners can add information on a measure and support its implementation.

Control analyses and assessments
Several participants can contribute their information in parallel.

Findings
Results from reviews or audits can be coordinated with the responsible people.

Assets and threats
Expertise from different areas of the company can feed directly into the assessment.

Requirements
Requirements can be shared specifically with the people responsible for assessing or implementing them.

A centrally maintained ISMS thus becomes a management process that can be worked on together.

Less email. Less Excel. More shared process.

The new sharing features do not only reduce administrative effort. They also change the way information security can be worked on together.

Instead of exporting information, sending it out and merging it again afterwards, data, feedback and results stay connected within one structured process.

That brings:

• more collaboration, because several people can work together directly
• more transparency, because the editing status remains visible at all times
• faster reviews, because feedback can be given in parallel
• fewer media discontinuities, because results are adopted directly
• more control, because releases can be managed precisely

Information security is teamwork

In the long run, an ISMS does not work as one person’s task. Risks, measures and controls affect different areas of an organisation — and often external service providers, consultants or partners as well.

With the extended collaboration features, fortControl brings these participants directly into the respective process. Work together. Trace changes. Adopt results directly.

Distributed coordination thus becomes structured collaboration — directly in fortControl.