The first improvement I would suggest for RSA Archer is a better search feature. The search criteria needs to be improved. Sometimes I do a search and the search doesn't return the exact item I'm looking for. RSA Archer could also be improved by being more user-friendly. 

Maybe I have been using a limited version of RSA Archer, but I'm not sure whether it has ESG, environmental and social governance. In the next couple of years, ESG is the next feature that will be integrated into GRC tools. I would recommend RSA Archer adds ESG. 

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The ticket handling process could be improved.

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Many a time, data feeds create problems. We keep seeing that the feeds have not run on schedule or have failed, and that's why the reports were not processed or created. It probably also has something to do with the strength of our server. For example, in our production environment, the servers are more powerful. We have more memory space, so we don't see this issue very often, but in the test environments, where there are constraints in terms of server and memory space, we keep seeing this issue.

There is no inbuilt alert in Archer to let us know that a data feed has failed or did not run for different reasons. So, we don't even get to know that a feed has not run until somebody reports it to us. This has been a problem all the time. Data feeds have always been a big headache for us because there is no feature to let us know if a feed has not run or has failed. If Archer had a feature to send us an email notification when a feed has failed, it would've been very helpful. This is the reason why our users are slowly moving away to another platform. Some of the modules that I have been managing are being moved to ServiceNow. Next year, a lot of our modules will be moved from RSA Archer to ServiceNow, and the data feed issue has been one of the main reasons.

We have also had issues with API calls. API calls have always been a problem. Policy exception management is one of the modules that I was managing, and in this module, we had built a few API calls. We had a few API call issues where the API call had failed and records did not get created. Sometimes, records even got deleted. We had numerous calls with RSA Archer, and they always said that unless we reproduce the issue in a lower environment, they cannot help us, but the issue only happens in production, and it happens intermittently. It happens maybe once every two months or three months. We don't know why the API call is failing and the records are not getting created, deleted, or de-linked from the associated parent records. They couldn't provide us with any reason. If their issue resolution team was more proactive, it would have been helpful. This has been a major issue, and this is the reason that this function has been moved to a different platform earlier this year. 

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Other tools, specifically designed for audit management have a better GUI than Archer. The problem with Archer is the business process. If you design in Archer you get a lot of tasks and a lot of information that gets congealed, which users don't like. The issues can be solved using the advanced workflow feature of Archer but it was only recently introduced and most clients are still using the old version to run the workflow.

If your process requests many tasks, many approvals, workflows, etc., then you're definitely going to see a lot of information in one sheet which makes the job harder. It's all dependent on your process. There are some flaws in the system, which are generally rectified over time but there is still room for improvement. I've previously given some feedback and, in general, there are a lot of complaints about the GUI. 

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The technology's a little outdated. They need to get a little bit more updated. AuditBoard and Workiva, as examples, are built on later or newer versions of the technology stacks and just have a little bit more to offer and a little bit easier to implement and integrate. Archer's just a little bit, in the current structure, older. that said, obviously, it has the most sophistication of any of the platforms out there.

There are no features that need to be added. It's really making the technology more current and upgrading the technology stack to where it works a little bit more seamlessly and efficiently. Being an older technology, some of the integrations and some of the things you need to do are a little harder and a little bit more old school, if you will, than a little bit of the open-style integrations that you have today with some of the newer tools.

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The user interface needs work. There are many small text boxes, like credit card size's boxes, where we need to input a lot of text. You can't see what you're typing beyond the tiny window, so you have to scroll or type elsewhere and copy-paste it. It's very inconvenient.

So, improving the user interface would be beneficial.

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 UI/UX can be improved and a feature to allow end user to update assessment question and add or remove recipients from a notification will help client to minimize their dependecy on Archer developer.RSA Archer somehow lag behind in the user interface.

Additionally, the reporting capability of Archer should be improved. Because generally what clients do is analyze processes, their records, their status. They integrate it with either Tableau or Power BI just to customize their reports and see more user friendly reports. So I would suggest to improve reporting capabilities as well.

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An area for improvement is the turnaround time for advice from the support team. In the next release, I would like to see a maturity rating feature that would provide industry ratings and information on the market.

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It would be nice if RSA Archer featured more customization. When customers are updating, they should be notified whether certain updates are optional. The install screen should not proceed to the next page unless we make some selections about which updates we want to install. That feature should be implemented in Azure so that users are aware. 

There is also an issue with managing records. If we add or remove records, something has to be updated.  Something has to be developed in this subform so that if a developer unexpectedly removes the total recorder linked to the parent record, it doesn't interrupt the connection. They have to come up with a solution for that.

Previously, we used RSA Archer to review data events. For example, we have a feature called Subscription Notification that was called Generate Notification. The letterhead was changed after migration, so we needed to update the letterhead manually. In Service Pack 2 6.9, links were embedded. So if we edited STTP, we had to remove the double slashes at the beginning of the address and update them to use only one slash. However, it is not recommended practice, so currently they're still updating that. We have notified the RSA team, and they are working on that.

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There is some lag and instability with the platform when using the cloud version. I would also like the look and feel of the layout to be updated and made more customizable. 

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One area that could be improved with the solution is the administration part, the backend task. That is a bit complex; or rather, the user interface can be made easier. For the newcomer, Archer might seem a bit complex. But once you get used to that, it's all fine.

In the next release of the solution, I'd like to see more inbuilt applications. For example, I talked about our organization having security management. Those are custom applications built by our own team. These are not out-of-the-box applications.

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The problem is, and I've had years and years of experience using it, let's say decades of experience with it, and they keep changing it. It could be as much as two years or so and they change the product. My concern is when they go from module to module, what do they do? Is it consistent to what the industry wants? And they could also add some things and improve on their product for when we want to match up CVS to it and a few other things. And I think the training is hard. I think they need to emphasize that you take people and send them to training. But today with COVID, how do you do that?

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Some of the error reporting isn't very clear. When you're looking for information on error codes, you got to do a lot of digging.

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We are implementing COBIT 2019. It is in English. It would be useful for customers if COBIT 2019 could be translated into different languages.

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One area that could be improved is the solution needs to go further with most of the APIs. They need to create multiple APIs and integrations, in my opinion. A few things can't be done from the RSA level and it's not user-friendly when you're working with the other tools. With the RSA products, it's very easy, because it's an inbuilt application. If you need to integrate the RSA products with another SIEM solution, then it doesn't work properly. You have to create a new API for that integration of Archer.

Beyond that, additional features would make the solution too complex. If additional features were added, the solution would need better sustainability and marketing. RSA would also need better online support. The solution would be more attractive with improvement to these items.

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There is a platform called Archer Community where we can post our concerns and any areas that need to be improved, and they will reach out. Recently, we made a suggestion for cross references, like for one application to another. There were limitations there, so we're hoping that will be included in the next upgrade.

Whenever there's an upgrade, they'll just make changes to the application. RSA is a Dell company. Dell is the parent company, and RSA is under that.

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Archer has evolved significantly over the last five to eight years, but there are still some areas that could be improved. We've noticed recently with the advanced workflow jobs that we're receiving some errors. It's a showstopper for us and it's clear that some kind of development support is needed. If there were an improvement in the design and the advanced workflow, jobs would run more smoothly, and a lot of value would be added to the business. Another aspect that could be improved is the UI which has a very old generation feel. For additional features, I'd very much like to see tools added in the next release. This could include a live connection that could be built in order to bring all the client data from the legacy system directly into Archer. Right now it's a data feed. There are currently some ActiveX options for live collections, but not for all the products. 

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Compared to other GRC tools, RSA Archer is a little complex in the sense that even users need to have some knowledge of the tool. Without any knowledge, both users and developers will have a hard time. I'd like to see the access control part simplified. Reduced complexity in the Advance Workflow and on the front end part of the tool would be really helpful. 

System administrators have overall control over the system, but it would be good if they could get more control over Archer. Finally, Archer has the option of custom coding things not currently supported by RSA. If it were supported that would be a great innovation because clients have needs that are not adjustable or incorporated in the tool. All those changes require coding which increases complexity.

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In a future release, there should be an option to upload the main data.

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I am not at the level to show someone how to improve whatever features they have. They are good if they work.

They are better now than previous versions. I am working on version 5, and they are now on version 6.9. They have made significant progress.

There should be an in-built feature that allows live data from vulnerabilities and threats from reliable sources to be streamed directly through their data field.

RSA can provide that kind of service, providing real-time data, vulnerability, and threats, without any local, asking for a contribution from someone else.

I would like to see real-time data, from vulnerabilities, and threats.

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The dashboarding in this solution needs to be improved, specifically the graphics. I am trying to find other solutions because I want to create management dashboards. This product has its own built-in design capabilities and how to present things, but it doesn't have a bullet chart. The bullet chart is the best graph for my purposes, and it should be available for inclusion in the dashboards. We are doing audits and risk management, and there are timelines related to when things are due. All of that can be very easily seen in a bullet chart graph, but what is available now are pie charts, bar charts, and the simple information that is not as meaningful.

The reporting features are very basic, PowerPoint-like capabilities, that should be improved. They should be more like the features available in Power BI, or Tableau. As a workaround, I tried dumping the information from Archer into these two solutions, but it would be much better to have the functionality built-in.

When it comes to searching, the filtering process is not very intuitive. If I want to filter then I have to use too many buttons to get to what I'm trying to search for. If they can simplify the researching process then that would be good.

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The dashboard that is a part of the RSA Archer could be more aesthetic. 

There should be a way to export and get data from the system in PDF or PowerPoint presentation format. This would be a great addition.

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In the current version, RSA is a little slow mainly because of Silverlight which I believe has been removed in the next version. We have some issues using .NET because migrating requires retraining the custom object every time; it's a manual change which is challenging. For that reason, we don't use the custom object. What's needed is a valueless field, where we can drag and drop, add some values and the process is automatic. I'd also like to see an 'approved' button incorporated in the notifications for updates. It would save time and make life easier for the end users.  

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There are many small things that need improvement but on the whole, it is much better now than it was when I first started using it six years ago. They are putting out updates almost every day. The latest version came out just a few days ago, so they are constantly making minute fixes and tweaks based on input from different users. Users like us are developing applications on the tool, so when we have an issue, we open a ticket with RSA directly. If it is a new issue and they can't fix it, then they log it and provide a solution in the next release of their tool. They're also planning to move to a completely cloud-based solution, so they are providing all the support for RSA Archer to be easily hosted on the cloud and everything.

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Archer could be improved by having more customization. I'm not sure if the backend processes have API calls and those kinds of seamless integrations, but from the front, some of the solutions are very out-of-the-box. It's not customizable, so that could be a little problematic since you have to use their features. In terms of the backend structure, I'm not too sure because I'm not a developer—I was an end user and product owner of Archer—and I don't quite know the backend and developmental features. But since it's an out-of-the-box solution, sometimes customization was challenging and support was a little problematic because we had to reach out to them all the time. 

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I would like to see a version of the product customized for small businesses, perhaps something cloud-based on a monthly basis. I would also like the product to be more easily integrated with the Arabic language. 

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The solution’s customization features could be better. Its performance and scalability need improvement as well. 

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There are many issues which Archer needs to work on, including those involving the database and the UI. I find the tech support to be inadequately knowledgeable. 

As I am a developer and responsible for providing production support, I do not have personal knowledge of the pricing. However, my colleagues claim that it is very expensive in comparison with other tools. 

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There were so many problems that we had found. One time, the search index was not working. We also faced slowness in Archer, but I resolved this issue. The queue services were running on two servers, whereas they should have been running only on one server. There were also many duplicate records. I had to go and check the specific field and update that. After that, we removed all duplicate records from Archer.

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I am currently using an older version of the product so my installation is not current. There have already been two new versions of Archer released after the version I have. I use 6.5 and 6.6 and 6.7 have been released. These two are minor releases. They are not really affecting the inner workings of how to do tasks but improving certain features like the interface. When I am creating applications I like to have what I know is a stable and familiar version of the product, so I do not automatically upgrade to the newest versions available.  

Because I have not upgraded, the graphical user interface is not the current one. It is not very modern and as user-friendly as it could be. I heard that the new versions have improved the graphical interface very much in this respect, and it should no longer be a problem at all. So, for now, I have some issues with the interface for this version but it may already be repaired and simplified in the new versions that exist.  

One thing I might like added is the ability to record a workflow in another application. It is really a sort of very technical thing and it is possible to do it in other ways, but adding this to the product could really help with the simplification of creating new workflows. This could make it easier, to implement some technical things.  

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The financial area of RSA Archer has room for improvement. I would like to be able to send invoices to our customers through the solution.

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When we have to do formulas or some other type of calculation in Archer, it sometimes doesn't work correctly. The fields don't display right, and we have to contact RSA Archer support to fix things. I think the calculation components are a bit complicated.

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I'm using a Mac and I can't get Archer to load in Safari. In addition, there are certain restrictions on API integrations, and it is not simple or straightforward. I'd like more customization and to be able to design our API integrations more easily, it would make a huge difference. We moved to SaaS because we wanted more integration and we wanted RSA to help with that. There has been some improvement but it's still not great. For no reason that we can figure out, there are issues with email; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We've raised that problem with RSA. There are some security concerns when it comes to authentications or DMZ or service accounts, which are still managed by RSA.

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An area for improvement is Archer's use of Internet Explorer as a core browser due to its dependence on Silverlight, despite Microsoft ending its support for IE and moving to Edge. I would like to see an end to the use of Silverlight and IE and for Archer to add the ability to use any browser to make key changes and configurations. In addition, I would like for the new questionnaire feature to be developed further and for Archer to develop a proper built-in framework for working with organizations with sub-organizations and multiple companies.

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The main improvement I would like to see in the on-premises version is the amount of data the product can hold. You need to have a really good server to make it run if you have a large amount of data, which may be challenging for bigger organizations. Another improvement would be making more features available as APIs. There are also some automation issues - some areas are not truly automated but are only scheduled, requiring someone to be present to monitor the process, meanwhile using a lot of automation can slow the system. Finally, I would like to see more scope for developers to play around with the project - currently, it is so tightly coupled that you do not have many options compared to some other products.

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An area for improvement would be the user interface. They could also offer more on-demand applications free of cost.

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I would like to have the ability to build and maintain an inventory of personal data processing activities and assets utilizing a purpose-built taxonomy and data structure.

Tracking data retention schedules and executing a checklist based on Article 30 requirements as it relates to processing activities would be a helpful addition.

Having the ability to manage activities related to notifications and consents linked to the processing activity inventory would improve this solution.

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We evaluated Archer but at the time its poor support for Basel (e.g. cap allocation) was a deal stopper for us. If you're not in the financial services industry then Archer might be a better fit. We also found Archer to be on the expensive side but we didn't get to the point of negotiating a better price. View full review »