C5 is the credential that decides whether enterprise contracts in Germany open or stay closed. Scytale is the only AI GRC platform purpose-built for it, combining automated evidence collection, continuous control monitoring, and dedicated GRC experts.
600+ reviews / 4.8 score
C5 goes further than most frameworks – more prescriptive controls, mandatory transparency on subprocessors and data jurisdiction, and an audit process that demands consistent, auditor-ready evidence at every stage.
Real-time visibility into your compliance status. Third-party risk assessed in a unified view. Controls monitored 24/7 for continuous compliance.
C5 requires more than a checklist. It requires a program that runs continuously, with the right controls in place, the right evidence always on hand, and experts who know what auditors actually look for. That’s what Scytale delivers.
Scytale enables you to achieve C5 attestation with pre-mapped controls, agentic workflows, expert-led readiness, and a process built around how C5 audits actually work.
Scytale monitors your controls around the clock, keeping your evidence current and your posture continuously audit-ready after your first attestation report is issued.
C5 attestation is your proof point in the DACH market. Launch a live Trust Center in minutes and share your security posture with prospects and customers in real time.
Daniel Schlegal
SVP of Tech & Global CIO
We considered other options, but Scytale’s combination of technology and personalized support was unmatched. Their team gave us the structure and guidance we needed to stay on track throughout our compliance process.
Amit Levran
Head of Security
By aligning compliance with continuous monitoring, Scytale reduced operational overhead, lowered costs, and gave us ongoing confidence in our compliance posture. The result is a scalable compliance model that supports growth while maintaining security.
Kevin DeMeritt
CEO
Before Scytale, compliance felt like rounding up cats. Today, it is structured, fully visible, and under control. We’ve reduced internal compliance effort by 83% and finally have clarity on where we stand at any point in time.
Scytale’s agentic compliance covers everything you need to get and stay C5 compliant.
Our agents run across your environment around the clock, flagging vulnerabilities and triggering remediation workflows before they surface in your audit.
Our Governance Engine writes, reviews, and maintains your policies, and automatically triggers updates when there are regulatory changes.
Scytale’s AI third-party risk management (TPRM) auto-assesses vendor compliance posture and generates risk scores and proactive alerts in a unified risk view.
Scytale continuously validates permissions across your connected systems and auto-generates the evidence your auditor needs.
Scytale’s AI maps shared controls across all active frameworks. C5 work feeds directly into every other standard in your program, eliminating duplication.
Scytale’s auditor portal centralises every evidence request, approval, and status update, so your team always knows where the audit stands.
Scytale’s dedicated GRC experts have worked through the C5 audit process, know what BSI-accredited auditors look for, and is embedded in your program from initial control scoping and policy documentation to evidence preparation, auditor communication, and post-attestation support.
Sarah L. · Scytale
CISO
Don't stress — we monitor these in real time. Let's hop on a quick call.Four steps. One continuous loop. Whether you’re coming to C5 for the first time or migrating an existing program onto Scytale, the process is the same: structured, expert-guided, and built to keep running after audit day.
Connect your full stack via 150+ integrations - cloud infrastructure, HRIS, security tools, and subprocessors. Scytale maps your environment to C5 controls from day one.
Scytale's agents monitor your environment and collect evidence against every C5 control, validating completeness in real time, in formats BSI-accredited auditors require.
C5-specific control gaps surfaced automatically. Remediation steps triggered. Cross-framework overlaps identified. Your expert reviews and advises throughout.
Attestation isn't the finish line. Scytale continues monitoring your C5 controls, tracking BSI regulatory updates, and keeping your evidence current.
1,000+ companies trust Scytale to run their compliance programs — including vendors expanding into the DACH market and security teams managing complex multi-framework environments at scale.
C5 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria Catalogue) is Germany’s government-backed cloud security standard, published by the BSI. It matters because procurement in Germany’s public sector, financial services, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors increasingly requires a C5 attestation report from cloud vendors. Without one, certain enterprise contracts in the DACH market simply don’t open, making C5 the single most important compliance credential for cloud and SaaS vendors targeting Germany.
C5 Type 1 verifies that your security controls are suitably designed at a single point in time. C5 Type 2 verifies that those controls operated effectively over a defined period, typically six to twelve months. Most enterprise procurement requirements in Germany specify a Type 2 attestation report, as it demonstrates sustained, real-world compliance rather than a one-time design review.
Timeline depends on your organisation’s size, infrastructure complexity, and the state of your existing controls. A Type 1 audit typically takes three to six months from kickoff. Type 2 requires an additional observation period on top of that. The biggest time drivers are control implementation, consistent evidence collection, and subprocessor documentation – all areas Scytale automates and manages throughout the process.
ISO 27001 is a prerequisite for C5 but not a substitute. C5 adds cloud-specific controls and mandatory transparency requirements, including subprocessor relationships and data jurisdiction disclosures that go well beyond ISO 27001’s scope. SOC 2 is primarily a North American standard and carries limited weight in German enterprise procurement. For DACH market access, C5 is the standard that actually closes deals.
Scytale connects to your full technology stack via 150+ native integrations. Once connected, Scytale continuously collects, validates, and organises evidence against your C5 controls in formats BSI-accredited auditors recognise and trust. Evidence is always current and complete – no manual exports, no spreadsheets, no last-minute evidence chases before your audit.
Yes. Scytale makes this significantly more efficient. Our cross-framework control mapping means work completed for C5 automatically maps to ISO 27001, GDPR, and KRITIS controls, eliminating duplicate effort across all active frameworks. Many Scytale customers run three or more frameworks simultaneously with less total effort than a manual single-framework program would require.
Traditional C5 costs are driven by manual effort, boutique auditor fees, and fragmented tooling. Scytale reduces the internal time investment significantly, automates the evidence work that drives the highest costs, and eliminates the need for external compliance consultants – the largest cost driver in a manual C5 program.
No prior C5 experience is required. A dedicated GRC expert with C5 knowledge guides the entire process, from initial scoping and control configuration through readiness assessment, auditor management, and attestation. You bring the context about your business and infrastructure. Scytale and your expert handle the compliance expertise.
Three things. First, native C5 support: most GRC platforms haven’t addressed C5’s complexity. Scytale has purpose-built it. Second, agentic AI: specialised agents running continuously across your environment, not automation triggered by manual input. Third, dedicated human experts: an in-house GRC expert, not a chatbot or third-party referral. Automation and real expertise, together.
Agents that run. Experts who guide. A compliance program that never sleeps.
