Vendor-Provided Resources

Security questionnaires and assessments are integral parts of comprehensive Vendor Risk Management (VRM) programs. But if you’re just getting started in the creation of your vendor risk assessment, you probably want to know what the most vital, high-level questions are and why you should be asking them.

This guide will help you get started with your vendor security assessment. You'll learn:

• Which questions to consider including in your vendor risk assessment

• Which industry-standard security assessment methodologies you should review

• Why a security assessment alone is not enough to continuously monitor and assess the security posture of your third parties and vendors

Download this ebook to better understand what critical questions you should be asking in your VRM program and why they’re so vital to your cybersecurity.

At 45-50%, depending on your statistical source, there is no denying that small to medium sized businesses are a significant economic engine from both an employment and innovation perspective. In 1978 Microsoft numbered 11 people. Unfortunately small businesses are also the least likely to survive a major disruption, an experience that changed Rochelle Clarke's corporate leadership trajectory to a business founder.

The Continuity Strength founder shares insights on the needs of small to medium businesses and how to develop resilience plans while simultaneously addressing the two biggest concerns of most SMB owners, time and money. Prior to founding Continuity Strength, Ms. Clarke was the Country Manager, Global Strategy for Heineken, a management consultant and is on multiple board and academic committees.

In this video, we explore the shortcomings of the bucket method for gathering due diligence documents from vendors and present a better way to collect the documents, making vendor management less painful.

Over the years, we have received feedback from customers that vendor management is one of their top pain points. This workbook was written from a desire to help guide vendor managers through the process in a way that is equally effective and efficient. Many of the concepts in this book are implemented in our vendor management software.

This article explains why small and mid sized vendors create outsized third party risk and how programs can bring them into view without adding heavy overhead. It covers the regulatory direction in the United States and the influence of DORA in the European Union, then offers a practical playbook for teams. Readers get a minimum viable evidence set, ways to use annual attestations as live monitoring, guidance on explainable scoring, and a short list of metrics that prove progress. The goal is fast, defensible assurance for the long tail of vendors.

This eBook explores the urgent need to adapt TPRM strategies to this evolving threat. We will examine why standard approaches such as SOC 2 and questionnaires often fall short in mitigating the modern ransomware menace. We will outline practical steps to bolster business continuity planning, integrate cybersecurity with operational resilience, and leverage HITRUST for more robust third-party risk mitigation. The question is not if another disruption will occur but when — and whether your organization will be ready.

Organizations rely on third-party vendors for crucial functions. These vendors often gain internal access to sensitive data. As dependencies increase, the risk of cyber threats increases, too. You may have a robust cybersecurity program. But what about your vendors? How do you ensure they have a strong cybersecurity plan to protect your and your customers’ data?

As financial technology (fintech) continues to evolve, third-party vendor risk management for financial institutions has become a mission-critical priority. In a sector where digital services, data-driven solutions, and external partnerships are the norm, overlooking third-party risk can lead to severe regulatory, operational, and reputational consequences.

This blog explores the unique challenges fintech companies face when managing third-party vendors and how adopting a structured, scalable assurance program like HITRUST can turn risk into a strategic advantage.

One of the most persistent challenges in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) is the growing tension between vendors and their customers over how much information is “enough” to complete the vendor due diligence process and gain meaningful assurance. At the heart of this tension is a fundamental friction: vendors are understandably cautious about sharing detailed internal information, while customers are under pressure to demand more of it.

Vendor relationships naturally expose your organization to risk. These can impact your organization in many ways, so it’s important to identify vendor risks before beginning a relationship. One of the first steps in this process is the inherent risk assessment. This internal document identifies the types and amounts of risks present in the vendor’s product or service. Inherent vendor risk is the level of risk your organization faces from a vendor relationship without any safeguards or controls in place. 

Download the eBook to learn: 

• Common vendor risk types with sample questions

• Next steps after determining inherent vendor risk

• How to use inherent risk in your program decisions

A vendor with inadequate business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) plans can be a recipe for disaster. You may face delayed service times, data loss, operational delays, and reputational damage. A vendor’s BC/DR plans and associated test results documentation can provide assurance the vendor is prepared. 

Download the checklist to learn: 

• What to review in a vendor's business continuity plan 

• What to review in a vendor's disaster recovery plan