CISGUARD — EVIDENCE READINESS PACK
Version 1.0 | 13 October 2026
https://cisguard.ae/resources/evidence-readiness-pack

HOW TO USE
Save a working copy. Replace blank fields and duplicate record sections as
needed. Keep this document in your organisation's approved storage. Do not send
credentials, raw scan output or confidential evidence through a public enquiry
form. Information entered in this downloaded file is not sent to CISGuard.

1. SCOPE AND REVIEW PLAN
Organisation / project:
Evidence owner:
Reviewer / approving authority:
Review period:
Applicable standard and edition:
Benchmark name, version and profile:
Assets in scope (reference approved inventory):
Excluded assets and rationale:
Collection method and required permissions:
Change window / blackout periods:
Evidence storage location and authorised access:
Retention and disposal requirements:

READINESS CHECKLIST — mark Yes / No / Not applicable, with a reason
[ ] Asset inventory and accountable owners agreed
[ ] Exact benchmark versions and profiles agreed
[ ] Assessment permissions and change controls approved
[ ] Manual checks distinguished from automated checks
[ ] Collection timestamps and source records retained
[ ] Exceptions have risk owners, approval and expiry
[ ] Remediation changes linked to re-test evidence
[ ] Evidence integrity and access controls documented
[ ] Framework mappings checked for applicability
[ ] Gaps, sampling and acceptance criteria agreed with reviewer

2. EVIDENCE RECORD — duplicate for each control / asset / review period
Record ID:
Asset ID / inventory reference:
Control reference (use the licensed / published source):
Benchmark version and profile:
Assessment tool and version:
Collected at (date, time, time zone):
Collection method (automated / manual):
Result (pass / fail / not applicable / not assessed):
Evidence reference (approved storage URL or record ID):
Integrity method / checksum if applicable:
Evidence owner:
Reviewer and review date:
Review decision / open question:
Framework mapping, rationale and limitation:
Next action / assignee / due date:

3. EXCEPTION RECORD — duplicate as needed
Exception ID / linked finding:
Affected assets and control references:
Business justification:
Risk assessment reference:
Compensating controls and supporting evidence:
Risk owner:
Approving authority and approval date:
Expiry and next review date:
Remediation / change ticket:
Re-test evidence and outcome:
Status (proposed / approved / expired / closed):

4. REVIEWER HANDOVER
Scope and period covered:
Coverage summary (assessed / unassessed / excluded assets):
Unresolved findings and material limitations:
Manual evidence still required:
Exceptions requiring review:
Sampling basis and agreed acceptance criteria:
Decisions and follow-up actions:

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR REVIEWER
- Is the evidence sufficiently recent for this review period?
- Can results be traced to the original collection method and asset?
- Which mapped requirements also need policy, people or process evidence?
- Who may approve an exception, and how long may it remain open?
- Which findings require re-test evidence before closure?

NEXT STEP
Discuss gaps: https://cisguard.ae/contact?offer=evidence-review
Product scope: https://cisguard.ae/product-scope
Official benchmarks: https://www.cisecurity.org/cis-benchmarks

This original CISGuard planning template does not reproduce benchmark control
text and is not an official CIS assessment or certification checklist.
Completing it does not establish compliance or guarantee reviewer acceptance.
CISGuard is independent of the Center for Internet Security.