From convoluted Excels to compliance confidence in 3 months
TLDR
Odido moved its Telecommunications Law compliance testing off Excel sheets and SharePoint into Tidal Control, and resolved in three months what had been a year-and-a-half struggle. Thousands of control tests across multiple applications now run in one platform, with a clear audit trail that makes every test traceable and reportable. Odido showed the tool directly to its regulator as evidence of how it works. The same visibility problem hits a startup running 10 controls in a spreadsheet.
When telecommunications giant Odido (formerly T-Mobile Netherlands) needed to modernise their Telecommunications Law compliance programme, they faced a common yet crucial challenge. Their team was wrestling with thousands of control tests across multiple applications, all managed through a maze of Excel sheets and SharePoint sites.
The Challenge: Managing Compliance at Scale
This fragmented approach wasn't just inefficient. It was making it increasingly difficult to provide regulators with the structured view of compliance they needed.
The situation reached a turning point when Odido realised their current approach wouldn't scale. With regulatory deadlines looming, they needed a solution that could transform their testing process whilst maintaining rigorous standards.
We had to be able to execute a control test from start to finish, report on it, and make it visible in a structured way.
Martijn RonteltapDirector GRC | Chief Security Officer | Odido
The challenge wasn't just about digitising their current approach. They needed a fundamental shift in how they managed and executed their compliance programme.
The Solution: A Partnership for Success
Enter Tidal Control. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with Odido, the Tidal team implemented a centralised platform that brought structure and clarity to their compliance testing. What had been a year-and-a-half struggle was resolved in just three months.
The transformation went beyond just digitising existing processes. It fundamentally changed how Odido approached control testing. By forcing processes into a structured tool, they reduced degrees of freedom and made their entire testing approach more scalable and repeatable.
The Results: Immediate Impact
The impact was immediate and far-reaching. The platform's intuitive interface reduced internal overhead, while its structured approach satisfied regulatory requirements. The solution provided a clear audit trail that transformed their ability to demonstrate compliance, making every test traceable and reportable.
The presentation to our regulator simply inspired confidence. We just showed them the tool and said 'this is how we do it'
Koen van RheeManager Risk & Control | Odido
The Difference: Vision Meets Execution
According to Odido, Tidal's unique combination of vision and execution set the implementation apart. Working directly with founders who had both the vision to understand their needs and the executive power to implement solutions made all the difference.
The speed of response, level of engagement, and ability to get things done was truly impressive. Compared to other vendors, the experience has been night and day.
Martijn RonteltapDirector GRC | Odido
The Cultural Shift: Beyond Just Technology
Perhaps most telling was the shift in internal discussions. Rather than focusing on managing tools and vendors, Odido's team could concentrate on what truly mattered, their core compliance work.
It really led to a whole discussion in the organisation about how we approach control testing and what we need. The platform has helped us reach a new level of maturity in our approach.
Martijn RonteltapDirector GRC | Chief Security Officer | Odido
The lesson also applies to small teams
The scale differs, but the problem does not. A startup running 10 controls in a spreadsheet hits the same wall Odido did with thousands: no one can see the current state of testing, evidence lives in scattered files, and every audit becomes a scramble to reconstruct what happened. Structure beats spreadsheets long before an organisation reaches enterprise size, because the cost is the same lack of visibility, just at a smaller scale.
Scale your compliance testing without spreadsheets
Ready to transform your compliance testing from a spreadsheet struggle into a streamlined success? Whether you're working towards ISO 27001, SOC 2, or other frameworks, Tidal Control can help you achieve the same results in just three months. Book a demo today and discover how.