Before buying a no-code or RPA tool, ask how it handles identity, secrets, permissions, logging, change control, data location, updates and exit. A clear, specific answer to each is worth more than a long feature list. Ask for the answers in writing and test the important ones in a trial.
Why a short list helps
Business teams often pick these tools, and security joins late. A fixed list of questions makes the review quick and fair, and it works for any vendor without naming one. The risks it targets map to the OWASP Citizen Development Top 10, including account impersonation, authorization misuse, sensitive data leakage, vulnerable components, misconfiguration and logging failures.
The question list
| Area | Question | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Can bots and apps run under dedicated accounts rather than their creator's? | Yes, with clear setup steps |
| Sign in | Does it support your single sign on and role based access? | Yes, with named roles |
| Secrets | Is there a built in credential store, or does it connect to ours? | A store with access control and logs |
| Permissions | Can we limit who builds, edits, publishes and runs? | Separate rights for each |
| Sharing | What are the defaults for sharing apps and links? | Private by default |
| Connectors | Can we allow or block connectors and templates centrally? | Yes, by policy |
| Logging | What is logged, how long is it kept and can we export it? | Actions, changes and sign ins, exportable |
| Change control | Can we require review before publishing? | Yes, with approvals recorded |
| Data | Where is data stored and processed, and who at the vendor can see it? | Named regions and described controls |
| Updates | How are platform changes announced? | Notice period and release notes |
| Components | How does the vendor handle vulnerabilities in what it ships? | A documented process |
| Exit | Can we export apps, workflows, data and logs? | Yes, in readable formats |
| Offboarding | How are creators' assets handled when they leave? | Reassignment, not deletion |
How to run the review
- Send the list to the vendor and ask for written answers.
- Pick the three that matter most for your use case and test them in a trial. For example, create a bot under a dedicated account and check the log.
- Look for answers that are vague, such as "enterprise grade security", and ask for specifics.
- Record your findings and the exceptions you accepted, with an owner.
- Decide what you will configure on day one: private sharing, an approved connector list and a review step.
What the questions will not tell you
Answers show what a vendor says. They do not show how you will use the product. Most real incidents come from configuration and ownership gaps, such as an overshared app or a bot with admin rights. So pair the vendor questions with your own readiness: inventory, owners, a secret store and a review routine.
Avoid claims such as superlatives when you write up the choice. State what you tested and what you decided.
Before the first app is built
Write a one page rule set for builders. Our post on what to allow, restrict and ban for citizen developers is a place to start.
Where Safeguard fits
Safeguard does not sell or replace these tools. Its asset discovery, SBOM and dependency scanning and compliance evidence automation can help once the tool is in use.
Quick check
Should security run the whole evaluation?
Security should own the questions and the key tests, while the business team owns the use case and the day one configuration.
Is a vendor's compliance report enough?
It is useful input, but it does not show how your own configuration will look. Test the controls that matter to you.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
