How a Warsaw Company Automated Third-Party ICT Risk Management for DORA Audits

Preparing for audits under the new Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) regulation can be a daunting challenge for companies managing multiple third-party ICT providers. 🚀 In this case study, we explore how an operations department in a Warsaw-based enterprise automated their third-party ICT risk management workflows, saving time, reducing errors, and ensuring audit readiness.

This article will walk you through the key problems the client faced, our automation approach using RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service, the architecture of the automated workflows with detailed steps, and the significant compliance and operational benefits achieved. Whether you are a startup CTO, an automation engineer, or an operations specialist, you will get a practical, hands-on view of how to build scalable, robust automation workflows that tackle DORA compliance effectively.

Read on to learn how automation transformed third-party ICT risk oversight, leveraging popular tools like Gmail, Google Sheets, and Slack integrated via powerful orchestration platforms such as n8n.

The Problem: Inefficient Manual Compliance with DORA in Warsaw Operations

The client is a mid-sized Warsaw-based company in the operations sector, responsible for coordinating ICT services provided by numerous third parties. The newly introduced Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) mandates stringent compliance on operational resilience, ICT risk management, third-party oversight, testing, and incident reporting. To prepare for audits, the operations team struggled to maintain timely monitoring of service level agreements (SLAs), attestations, and incident reports for over 30 ICT providers.

Previously, the team relied heavily on manual spreadsheets and email follow-ups to track third-party risks and compliance attestations. This process was time-consuming, error-prone, and lacked real-time visibility. On average, the team spent over 40 hours monthly compiling reports for auditors, with an estimated manual error rate of 15%, leading to delays and compliance risks.

Furthermore, the lack of centralized logs and automated incident reporting complicated responses during audits, increasing operational stress and potential regulatory exposure.

Our Approach: Automating Third-Party ICT Risk Workflows with RestFlow

RestFlow took a comprehensive approach to address these challenges by:

• Conducting process discovery sessions to map out the existing third-party ICT risk management activities.
• Identifying key integration points with tools already in use: Gmail for communications, Google Sheets as an accessible data store, Slack for internal alerts, and a CRM system for vendor management.
• Selecting n8n as the orchestration platform for its flexibility and advanced functionality, supporting custom workflows and conditional logic essential for nuanced compliance requirements.
• Designing a scalable, modular automation architecture to handle SLA monitoring, attestations collection, third-party risk assessments, testing logs, and incident reporting.

This strategy positioned RestFlow as the compliance-first automation partner, enabling the client to replace manual compliance management with robust, automated processes. Explore the Automation Template Marketplace to see similar compliance workflows.

The Solution: Automation Architecture & Workflow Design

The automation solution’s global architecture consists of:

• Triggers: Scheduled workflows running daily and weekly to check deadlines and incoming attestations.
• Orchestration: n8n running hosted automation workflows, managing data routing and logic.
• External Integrations: Gmail for automated email dispatch and receipt, Google Sheets as a centralized database of third-party providers and SLA statuses, Slack for instant notifications, and the CRM API for vendor verification.
• Outputs: Dynamic dashboards updated in Google Sheets, Slack alerts for overdue SLAs or missing attestations, and compiled audit-ready reports automatically generated and archived.

End-to-End Workflow Overview

1. Scheduler Trigger: The workflow initiates via scheduled cron triggers in n8n—daily for incident reporting and weekly for SLA and attestation status checks.
2. Data Retrieval: n8n queries Google Sheets to retrieve third-party ICT provider data and current compliance status.
3. Email Automation: For missing attestations or late responses, automated reminder emails are generated using Gmail node with templated content tailored to each provider.
4. Response Handling: Incoming emails from providers are parsed automatically to update compliance status; attachments such as test reports or certifications are saved into cloud storage.
5. Internal Notifications: Slack messages alert operations managers of any pending risks or incidents requiring investigation.
6. Reporting: Weekly and monthly compliance reports are dynamically generated and logged in Google Sheets, providing real-time audit-ready status.

Step-by-Step Node Breakdown 🚀

1. Trigger Node: Scheduled Cron

The workflow starts with an n8n Cron node set to run every Monday at 9 AM for SLAs and attestations tracking. A separate daily trigger handles incident reporting reviews.
Key config: Timezone set to Europe/Warsaw, retries enabled in case of temporary errors.

2. Data Fetch: Google Sheets Read

Using the Google Sheets node, the workflow reads the ‘Third-Party ICT Providers’ sheet, extracting vendor names, contact emails, SLA deadlines, and previous compliance statuses.
Configuration involves specifying the spreadsheet ID and the appropriate sheet name, filtering rows where the next attestation is due.

3. Conditional Check: SLA & Attestation Status

A Function node evaluates each provider’s SLA expiry and the presence of recent attestations. Providers overdue for attestations trigger follow-up actions.
Example condition logic: `if (daysUntilSLA < 7 && !attestationReceived) { sendReminder = true; }`

4. Email Dispatch: Gmail Node

For providers missing attestations, the Gmail node sends templated reminder emails, including personalized info like SLA terms and critical deadlines.
Key fields: To (mapped from the provider’s contact email), Subject with dynamic SLA reference, and Body containing compliance requirements.

5. Incoming Email Handling: Webhook & Parser

A separate workflow uses an n8n Webhook node receiving incoming attestation emails via Gmail forwarding.
The node parses attachments, validates content format, and updates Google Sheets to mark compliance as complete for the respective provider.

6. Internal Alerting: Slack Node 📣

If any provider fails to respond after repeated reminders, the workflow triggers the Slack node to post alerts to a dedicated #compliance channel, tagging relevant team members.
Messages include vendor name, issue details, and SLA urgency.

7. Reporting: Google Sheets Update & PDF Export

Compliance dashboards in Google Sheets are updated in real-time.
Additionally, a PDF generation step exports monthly compliance reports emailed automatically to audit teams.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling & Retries

Each workflow node includes built-in retry logic with exponential backoff for transient failures such as network errors.
Failures trigger alerts to the operations lead via Slack and email instant notifications to minimize disruption.

Logging & Observability

All workflow runs are logged with detailed metadata accessible in n8n’s execution history.
Critical errors produce structured logs pushed to a centralized logging system for audit trails.

Idempotency & Deduplication

To avoid duplicated emails or status updates, workflows implement idempotency keys using provider IDs and timestamps.
Database cross-checks (Google Sheets queries) act as guardrails before performing updates.

Security & Data Protection

• API keys and OAuth tokens are securely stored in the n8n credential store with environment-level encryption.
• Access is scoped with least privilege, limiting which Google Sheets and Slack channels each node can access.
• PHI and sensitive data are masked or omitted from logs wherever possible.
• Auditability is ensured by detailed activity logs and immutable timestamped reports.

Performance, Scaling & Extensibility

As third-party provider volume increased, the workflow scaled by:

• Using webhooks for immediate reaction to incoming emails instead of slow polling.
• Batch processing provider data with concurrency limits in n8n to prevent rate limiting.
• Modular workflow design allowing adding new ICT teams or provider categories easily without disrupting existing automation.
• Utilizing managed RestFlow hosting for stable uptime and automated version control, including staging environments for safe testing.

Comparison Tables

Option	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free self-hosted or paid cloud (starting $20/month)	Highly customizable; supports complex logic; open source	Requires more technical setup; learning curve higher
Make	Starts at $9/month	Visual editor; many app integrations; easy to use	Limits on operations; less flexible for intricate logic
Zapier	Starts at $19.99/month	Simple setup; wide app support; reliable	Limited branching; costly at scale

Method	Latency	Resource Usage	Scalability	Reliability
Webhook-based	Milliseconds to seconds	Low	High, event-driven	High, real-time
Polling	Minutes to hours	High (frequent requests)	Moderate	Moderate, delays possible

Storage Option	Cost	Ease of Use	Scalability	Auditability
Google Sheets	Free (with Google Workspace)	Very easy; no DB skills needed	Low to moderate; max 5M cells	Basic version history
Relational Database (PostgreSQL)	Moderate (cloud instance costs)	Requires DB skills	High; horizontal scaling possible	Comprehensive logging

Results & Business Impact

After deployment, the client reported the following improvements:

• 70% reduction in manual hours spent on compliance tracking per month (from 40+ hours to under 12).
• 90% decrease in missed or late attestations due to automated reminders and monitoring alerts.
• A marked improvement in SLA adherence, reducing third-party risks and providing calm, controlled operations during audits.
• Real-time dashboards and audit-ready reporting cut preparation time for regulatory inspections by over 60%.

The operations team enjoyed vastly improved visibility, allowing them to proactively manage ICT risks rather than reacting to crises.

If your team faces similar compliance challenges, why not create your free RestFlow account and start automating today?

Pilot Phase & Maintenance Disclaimer

It is important to note that RestFlow engaged in a pilot phase during which the automation workflows ran with controlled, limited data sets.
During this phase, minor bugs and edge cases surfaced, allowing us to refine error handling and improve reliability.
Post-pilot, RestFlow continues to provide managed hosting, continuous monitoring, updates, and compliance audit support as part of its Automation-as-a-Service offering.
This ensures that automation remains robust and adaptable as regulatory and business needs evolve.

Conclusion

In summary, automating third-party ICT risk management under DORA audits transformed our Warsaw client’s operations from manual, error-prone processes into scalable, controlled, and audit-ready workflows.

By leveraging RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service, the client benefits from end-to-end design, implementation, hosting, monitoring, and maintenance, ensuring ongoing compliance with evolving regulatory demands while freeing their team to focus on strategic initiatives.

If you are looking to simplify your compliance challenges and enhance operational resilience, RestFlow offers proven automation frameworks tailored for DORA and similar regulations.

Don’t wait — explore our Automation Template Marketplace or create your free RestFlow account today and start automating your compliance workflows with confidence.