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The RSA Archer Migration Checklist

Seven phases from pre-decision to decommission, with realistic timelines for a mid-market instance. Archer migrations fail in the phases teams skip - usually the data audit. Work it in order.

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What are the phases of an RSA Archer migration?

Seven, in order: pre-decision, data audit, platform selection, extraction, validation, cutover, and decommission - 37 items in total, with realistic timelines per phase for a mid-market instance. Archer migrations fail in the phases teams skip, usually the data audit, so work the list in sequence.

Phase 1 - Pre-Decision

2–4 weeks

Document why you're evaluating a move - renewal pressure, admin capacity, program shape - so the decision has a written basis
Confirm your contract's renewal date, notice period, and termination terms - this sets your real timeline
Identify who owns the decision and who owns the work (they're rarely the same person)
Run the total-cost comparison honestly: license plus admin plus professional services, not license vs license
Take an independent complexity assessment before any vendor demo shapes your expectations

Phase 2 - Data Audit

2–6 weeks (longer if your Archer admin has departed)

Build the application inventory: every application, record counts, custom fields, active workflows - including dormant ones
Run a field census per application: types, values lists, cross-references, calculated fields, attachment fields
Map institutional knowledge: who understands each application, how well documented it is, and the departure risk
Count attachments - the number changes the extraction plan more than any other single fact
Make explicit keep / archive / kill decisions per application; only migrate what's actively maintained
Confirm regulatory retention obligations before deciding anything is safe to leave behind

Phase 3 - Platform Selection

3–6 weeks

Decide the category question first: compliance automation (Vanta, Drata) or configurable GRC (AuditBoard, LogicGate) - your data audit answers this
Verify every must-have against the destination's actual model, not its marketing - especially custom workflows and risk reporting
Confirm plan-tier details that change economics: API access, framework coverage, integration availability
Get migration-relevant commitments in the contract: import support, CSV templates, implementation assistance
Negotiate a renewal cap clause before signing - it's never easier than now

Phase 4 - Extraction

2–5 weeks, sized by the data audit

Export every active application's records (API-driven for volume; search exports for smaller sets)
Export values lists with internal IDs mapped to display values, including inactive entries
Export cross-reference relationships with both-side record IDs so the relationship graph survives
Script attachment retrieval with record associations preserved
Document calculated-field formulas while someone who understands them is available
Archive the complete extraction somewhere independent of Archer, with a written manifest of what was and wasn't captured

Phase 5 - Validation

1–3 weeks, overlapping extraction

Reconcile record counts per application against the inventory from Phase 2
Spot-check exported records against the live system - values, relationships, attachments
Verify the archive opens and reads outside Archer (a backup you haven't restored is a hope, not a backup)
Review the extraction manifest with your auditor and get their sign-off on evidence continuity

Phase 6 - Cutover

4–10 weeks depending on program size

Build the destination foundation: frameworks, integrations, HRIS personnel sync
Import in dependency order: personnel → vendors → controls (using your mapping) → policies → evidence
Re-establish policy approval workflows and communicate that approval history resets
Rebuild the risk register in the destination's model - translate, don't recreate Archer's structure
Run parallel with Archer in read-only mode for one full reporting cycle before trusting the new system
Notify your auditor 60+ days before the next audit with timeline and evidence continuity plan

Phase 7 - Decommission

2–4 weeks, gated on a clean cycle

Pull a final archive snapshot before access ends
Confirm contract termination in writing, including any data return or destruction obligations
Revoke all user access and disable outbound feeds and integrations
Verify retention obligations are satisfied by your archive, not by continued Archer access
Write the lessons-learned document while the project team still remembers the details

Deeper material for the heaviest phases: the Archer data export guide covers Phase 4's mechanics in practitioner detail; the alternatives guide, the Archer vs Vanta and Archer vs Drata comparisons, and ZenGRC vs Archer cover Phase 3's destination question; and the full migration guides - Archer to Vanta and Archer to Drata - walk the cutover step by step. For a personalized complexity score before you start, take the legacy migration assessment.

Want an independent scoping before you commit to a timeline?

A free 30-minute consultation maps your exact situation - what data moves, what doesn't, whether your timeline is viable, and what the switch will actually cost in time and disruption.

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Independent advice. Not affiliated with any platform vendor.

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GRC Migrate is an independent consulting service. We are not affiliated with Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, Sprinto, or any compliance platform vendor. Our recommendations are based on your specific situation, not commercial relationships.

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