​
Overview

Risk snapshots capture the state of your risk registers at a specific point in time. They provide a historical record of your risk posture that enables trend analysis, compliance reporting, and before-and-after comparisons around significant events like control implementations, incidents, or organizational changes.

​
Why Take Snapshots

Compliance Evidence

Auditors want to see how your risk posture has evolved over time. Snapshots provide dated proof of your risk management activities.

Trend Analysis

Compare snapshots to identify whether your risk posture is improving, stable, or worsening over time.

Board Reporting

Executive and board-level reporting requires historical risk data. Snapshots provide the data for quarterly risk reports.

Change Impact

Take a snapshot before and after major changes (new controls, incidents, vendor changes) to measure the impact on your risk posture.

​
Snapshot Contents

Each snapshot captures a comprehensive set of risk metrics: In addition to aggregate metrics, each snapshot stores the individual risk records (title, severity, status, inherent score, and residual score) at the time of capture.

​
Creating a Snapshot

1

Navigate to Risk Snapshots

Go to Risk > Risk Snapshots to access the snapshots list.
2

Click Create Snapshot

Click the Create Snapshot button. If you have multiple risk registers, select which register to snapshot.
3

Add Notes

Provide context for the snapshot in the notes field. Good notes explain why the snapshot was taken (e.g., “Q2 2026 quarterly review”, “Post-incident assessment”, “Before SOC 2 audit”).
4

Confirm

Confirm the snapshot creation. The system captures the current state of all risks in the selected register.
You can also create snapshots directly from a risk register detail page using the snapshot button in the page header. This pre-selects the register for convenience.
Each snapshot is assigned a trend indicator based on comparison with the previous snapshot:
The trend is calculated automatically by comparing key metrics between consecutive snapshots. For the first snapshot in a register, no trend is available.

​
Viewing Snapshot Details

Click on a snapshot to see its full detail page, which includes:
  • Summary metrics — all aggregate statistics at the time of capture
  • Risk breakdown — individual risks with their scores and statuses at snapshot time
  • Comparison indicators — changes from the previous snapshot highlighted

​
Snapshot Detail Metrics

The detail view displays four key metric cards:
  1. Total Risks — with breakdown by severity level
  2. Average Inherent Score — mean inherent risk score
  3. Average Residual Score — mean residual risk score
  4. Compliance Rate — percentage of approved risks

​
Comparing Snapshots

Comparing two snapshots side by side reveals how your risk posture has changed over a specific period. Key comparisons include:
  • Risk count changes — new risks added, risks resolved
  • Score changes — movement in average inherent and residual scores
  • Risk level shifts — risks that moved between severity levels
  • Treatment changes — changes in risk treatment strategies
Take snapshots at regular intervals (quarterly is recommended) to build a consistent historical record that supports meaningful trend analysis.

​
Filtering Snapshots

The snapshots list supports:
  • Search — find snapshots by name or notes
  • Register filter — show snapshots for a specific risk register
  • Date range — filter by snapshot creation date

​
Exporting Snapshots

Export snapshot data for offline analysis or reporting:
  • Individual snapshot export — download a single snapshot with all its risk data
  • Trend export — download multiple snapshots for trend analysis in spreadsheets or BI tools

​
When to Take Snapshots

Establish a consistent snapshot cadence and supplement it with event-driven snapshots:

​
Regular Cadence

​
Event-Driven

​
Compliance Relevance

Risk snapshots satisfy requirements across frameworks:

​
Best Practices

  • Take snapshots quarterly at minimum to build a consistent historical record
  • Always add meaningful notes — future reviewers and auditors need context for why the snapshot exists
  • Snapshot before major changes so you have a baseline for measuring the change’s impact
  • Review trends monthly even if you only snapshot quarterly — the trend indicators quickly surface deterioration
  • Include snapshots in board reports to demonstrate ongoing risk management to leadership
  • Retain all snapshots indefinitely — they are lightweight and provide valuable long-term trend data
  • Align snapshot dates with audit periods so you have ready-made evidence for audit requests