Please note: This feature is currently in early access. Please reach out to your CSM to see if you’d be a good fit for testing out the new feature prior to general availability.
What is the Information Request List (IRL)?
Vanta’s Information Request List (IRL) feature helps you manage and respond to auditor requests directly within Vanta. Instead of handling audit preparation through external spreadsheets or long email threads, IRL brings your auditor’s request list into Vanta, streamlining communication, centralizing evidence management, and improving visibility for your team.
Key Benefits
Centralize audit request tracking
View how requests map to relevant framework controls
Collaborate with your team and auditors through comments
Show point-in-time documents and tests
Mark evidence as ready for internal review or ready for audit
Monitor status and deadlines across all requests in one place
How To Get Started
Upload an IRL to Vanta
You or your auditor can upload an information request list directly into Vanta.
Navigate to the Audit Hub in Vanta
Create a new audit using advanced option: Custom IRL
Click Upload Request List
Upload a CSV file (each request must be uniquely named and mapped to at least one framework code)
Codes are available for download for reference by selecting download Excel Template
Vanta will validate the requests and import them into your IRL view.
View and Manage Requests
Once uploaded, each request includes metadata such as:
Request name
Type
Description (if provided)
Due date
Evidence status
Metadata can be edited only by your auditors. In the future, you will also be able to edit the metadata.
Upload Evidence to a Request
Evidence can be manually uploaded by team members.
Types of evidence supported today:
Documents (PDF, Word, etc.)
URLs (e.g., links to Google Drive or policies)
Observability notes
Uploading Evidence to a Request
Click into a request
Select + Evidence
Upload a file, paste a URL, or enter observability notes
Mark Evidence as Ready for Review or Audit
Once evidence is added, it can be marked for internal or auditor review.
Click ready for internal review or ready for audit in the top right of your screen
Ready for internal review: For peer/team verification
Ready for audit: Shared with the auditor
Comment on Requests
You can comment internally or share with your auditor.
Open a request
Use the Comments section
Select whether your comment is internal or shared with auditor
Understand Evidence Capture Dates
Some requests may specify a capture date, meaning evidence can’t be uploaded until that date.
These dates are typically defined by your auditor
You’ll see a note on when evidence can be added if the evidence window hasn’t opened yet
What You Can Do Today
Upload your auditor’s IRL or have the auditor upload it directly
Upload evidence manually, including documents and URLs
Mark evidence as ready for internal review or ready for audit
Admins can approve evidence for internal or auditor review
Auditors can evaluate submitted evidence
Add comments for internal collaboration or with the auditor
View request details including type, due date, and description
Track overall audit readiness and progress
Please Note: Vanta Evidence (automated document linking and collection) is coming soon. For now, all evidence must be uploaded manually.
Information Request List (IRL) Roadmap
(Sep – Oct 2025)
New features planned for release in the coming weeks:
View and upload documents that are automatically mapped to controls as evidence
See related controls on each request and add new control mappings
Assign owners to requests to drive accountability
(Nov – Dec 2025)
The following capabilities are planned for later in 2025:
View and upload policies mapped to controls as evidence
Search and add all documents and policies in a framework as evidence
Email notifications for:
Requests marked ready for review
Requests with approaching due dates or capture dates
Comments added to requests
Auditor-flagged requests
Ability to filter and sort requests by status, due date, owner, etc.
Assign or reassign request owners
Planned for 2026
We are planning additional enhancements to support more advanced workflows:
View and upload automated test results as evidence
Add version-specific documents or policies as evidence
Add a controls page to audit engagements
Perform bulk actions across multiple requests
Preview evidence files before submission
Support multi-framework audits
AI-powered control mapping based on auditor criteria
AI-powered evidence evaluation