Vendor Risk Management
See which vendors put your business at risk
Keep their breach from becoming yours.
Led by Certified Third-Party Risk Professionals (CTPRP).
Led by Certified Third-Party Risk Professionals (CTPRP).
Inventory. Assessment. Contracts. Monitoring. Assurance.
Vendor risk basics
What is vendor risk management?
Every vendor, cloud provider, SaaS application, and managed service provider with access to your data or systems extends your attack surface. Vendor risk management, also called third-party risk management, is how you identify, assess, and control the security risk they bring.
Some of the best-known breaches, including Target and Home Depot, started with a trusted third party. That is why SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, and FedRAMP all expect you to manage the security risk your vendors introduce.
Why it matters
Your security is only as strong as your weakest vendor
Fewer breaches
Close the back door attackers use most
Find and fix the vendor weaknesses attackers exploit to reach your systems and data.
Find and fix the vendor weaknesses attackers exploit to reach your systems and data.
Full visibility
Know which vendors need attention first
A clear view of every vendor’s security risk lets you act before a weak vendor turns into your breach, legal cost, or lost customer.
A clear view of every vendor’s security risk lets you act before a weak vendor turns into your breach, legal cost, or lost customer.
Audit ready
Meet third-party requirements in every audit
A documented program satisfies the vendor risk expectations of SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, and FedRAMP.
A documented program satisfies the vendor risk expectations of SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, and FedRAMP.
No added headcount
Save time, money, and resources on vendor reviews
We can run vendor assessments for you, so your team keeps its focus without hiring dedicated staff.
We can run vendor assessments for you, so your team keeps its focus without hiring dedicated staff.
Two ways we help
Outsource the assessments,
or build the program
Choose the model that fits your team, or combine them as your vendor list grows.
Vendor assessments
We assess vendors on your behalf
Retain InfoGuard as your approved assessor. We review each vendor’s security, identify deficiencies, and verify that fixes or compensating controls are in place, without straining your internal resources.
Program build
We build your vendor risk program
We design and implement a complete program inside your organization: governance, policies, contract security review, risk analysis, metrics, and continuous monitoring.
Questionnaire or assurance
Why a vendor questionnaire is not enough
Most vendor reviews stop at the vendor’s own answers. Real assurance verifies them.
Area
Questionnaire only
InfoGuard assessment
Evidence
The vendor's own answers
Documents, evidence, and reports reviewed
Depth
Yes or no responses
Controls designed, implemented, and operating over time
Contracts
Often overlooked
Security terms, SLAs, and audit rights reviewed
Follow-up
Findings rarely tracked
Fixes and compensating controls verified
Over time
A one-time snapshot
Ongoing monitoring based on each vendor's security risk
Why InfoGuard
Certified expertise, verified assurance
Certified expertise
Assessments led by Certified Third-Party Risk Professionals
Our CTPRP credential and former FedRAMP 3PAO assessor experience mean we know what real vendor assurance requires.
Our CTPRP credential and former FedRAMP 3PAO assessor experience mean we know what real vendor assurance requires.
Past the paperwork
Decisions based on verified controls, not promises
We test whether vendor controls are designed, implemented, and working over time, not just documented.
We test whether vendor controls are designed, implemented, and working over time, not just documented.
Cloud provider depth
Cloud contracts that actually protect you
We review SaaS and cloud provider contracts, SLAs, and shared responsibilities, so gaps are caught before you sign.
We review SaaS and cloud provider contracts, SLAs, and shared responsibilities, so gaps are caught before you sign.
Risk-tiered effort
Spend review time where the security risk is highest
Vendors are tiered by access and impact, so critical vendors get deep reviews and low-risk ones stay light.
Vendors are tiered by access and impact, so critical vendors get deep reviews and low-risk ones stay light.
Your vendors are part of your attack surface. Manage them that way.
Our approach
From vendor inventory to continuous assurance
01
Inventory & Tiering
We identify every vendor with access to your data or systems and tier them by the security risk they carry.
02
Policies & Governance
We set the policies, standards, and roles, responsibilities, and accountability for managing vendors.
03
Contract Security Review
We review security terms, SLAs, breach notification, and audit rights in new and existing contracts.
04
Vendor Assessments
We assess each vendor’s controls against your requirements, with depth matched to its tier.
05
Remediation & Verification
We track findings with vendors and verify that fixes or compensating controls are actually in place.
06
Monitoring & Metrics
Ongoing monitoring and program metrics keep leadership informed as vendors and threats change.
FAQ
Vendor risk questions, answered
The program
Which vendors need to be assessed?
Any vendor that stores, processes, or can access your sensitive data or systems, including cloud and SaaS providers, managed service providers, and contractors. Tiering lets you focus the deepest reviews on the vendors that carry the most security risk.
Is a vendor's SOC 2 report enough?
It is a strong starting point, but not the whole picture. We check that the report covers the services you use, review exceptions and carved-out subservice providers, and confirm the controls you are responsible for are in place.
Do frameworks require vendor risk management?
Yes. SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, and FedRAMP all expect you to manage the security risk vendors introduce, from contracts and business associate agreements to ongoing oversight.
Can you assess vendors on our behalf?
Yes. Many clients retain InfoGuard as their approved assessor, so vendor reviews get done thoroughly without adding headcount.
Scope, timing, and cost
How often should vendors be reassessed?
It depends on their tier. Critical vendors are typically reviewed at least annually and after any significant change or incident, while low-risk vendors can be reviewed less often.
What about our cloud providers?
Cloud and SaaS providers are often your most critical vendors. We review their contracts, SLAs, and shared responsibility models so you know which protections are theirs and which are yours.
How long does it take to build a program?
A core program, with an inventory, tiers, policies, and assessments of your most critical vendors, can usually be in place within a few months.
How much does it cost?
Cost depends on the number of vendors, their tiers, and whether we run assessments for you or build your program. There is no flat fee. We provide a firm quote after a short scoping conversation.
Vendor risk in practice
A signed questionnaire isn't assurance
Vendor security risk is managed when controls are verified, contracts are enforced, and monitoring never stops.
Next step
Tell us where you stand
Tell us about your vendors and how they are reviewed today. We’ll reply with next steps, whether that’s assessing your critical vendors or building a full program.