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Keel Docs

Quickstart

This guide takes you from an empty account to a working compliance program. Most teams get through it in an afternoon — Keel seeds the heavy lifting and shows you what’s next at each step.

1. Create your workspace

Section titled “1. Create your workspace”

Sign up at app.keelgrc.com and create a workspace for your company. A workspace is an isolated program: its controls, evidence, policies, and people are separate from every other workspace. You can belong to more than one and switch between them from the top-right menu.

2. Apply a framework

Section titled “2. Apply a framework”

Open the Get started hub (the guided setup) and pick the framework you’re working toward. Applying a framework seeds a curated, pre-mapped starter control set for it in one click — so you begin with a real, structured library instead of a blank page.

Not sure where to begin? NIST CSF is available on the free tier as a genuine starting point. You can add more frameworks later, and controls are crosswalked so the work carries over. Read more in Frameworks & crosswalks.

3. Mark what’s already true

Section titled “3. Mark what’s already true”

Go to Controls and set each control’s status: not started, in progress, implemented, gap, or not applicable. Start by marking what you already do — most teams are further along than they expect. Marking a control N/A removes its requirements from scope.

Your Dashboard readiness score is the percentage of in-scope requirements covered by at least one implemented control, so it updates as you go. Stuck on a control? Use the AI implementation guidance to turn “where do I start” into a concrete checklist.

4. Collect evidence

Section titled “4. Collect evidence”

Evidence is what an auditor actually reviews. In Evidence, upload a screenshot, export, or document and link it to the controls it supports — one artifact can back many controls. Keel tracks review dates so you can see what’s fresh and what’s expiring. See Evidence for the full workflow, including the AI sufficiency check.

5. Get your policies in order

Section titled “5. Get your policies in order”

Open Policies and tailor the templates you need from the 50+ framework-mapped library — or draft one with AI, or import an existing .docx and let AI clean it up. Approve each policy, set a review cadence, and export a branded PDF. Details in Policies.

6. Sync your team and vendors

Section titled “6. Sync your team and vendors”

Pull your employee directory from Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, or a CSV upload, then add the third parties you rely on with a criticality tier. Keel sets a review cadence per vendor tier and flags anything overdue.

7. Track readiness and prove it

Section titled “7. Track readiness and prove it”

Watch your readiness climb on the Dashboard, generate an auditor-ready readiness report, and — when you’re ready to show the world — publish a public Trust Center.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”