Vendor Management

Implement a vendor risk management program covering vendor assessment questionnaires, risk scoring, contract tracking, SLA monitoring, and ongoing oversight for compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, and regulatory frameworks.

Vendor Risk Tiering

vendor_risk_tiers:
  critical:
    criteria:
      - Processes or stores sensitive/regulated data (PII, PHI, PCI)
      - Single point of failure (no alternative vendor)
      - Has privileged access to production systems
      - Handles authentication or security-critical functions
    assessment_requirements:
      - Full security questionnaire (SIG or custom)
      - SOC 2 Type II report review (or equivalent)
      - Penetration test results review
      - On-site or virtual security assessment (optional)
      - Business continuity and DR plan review
    review_frequency: Annual
    contract_requirements:
      - Data processing agreement (DPA)
      - Business associate agreement (BAA) if PHI
      - Security SLA with breach notification timeline
      - Right to audit clause
      - Cyber insurance requirements
    examples:
      - Cloud infrastructure providers (AWS, Azure, GCP)
      - Identity providers (Okta, Azure AD)
      - Payment processors (Stripe, Adyen)
      - Primary database or CRM SaaS

  high:
    criteria:
      - Accesses significant company data (internal or confidential)
      - Integrates with production systems via API
      - Processes customer-facing transactions
      - Substitution would cause significant business disruption
    assessment_requirements:
      - Security questionnaire
      - SOC 2 report review (Type I or Type II)
      - Compliance certifications verified
    review_frequency: Annual
    contract_requirements:
      - Data processing agreement
      - Security requirements appendix
      - Incident notification clause (72 hours)
    examples:
      - Email/marketing platforms (SendGrid, HubSpot)
      - Monitoring and logging SaaS (Datadog, Splunk)
      - CI/CD platforms (GitHub, GitLab)
      - Customer support platforms

  medium:
    criteria:
      - Limited data access (internal data only)
      - Non-production system integration
      - Some business impact if unavailable
    assessment_requirements:
      - Abbreviated security questionnaire
      - Compliance certification verification
    review_frequency: Every 2 years
    contract_requirements:
      - Standard vendor terms with security clause
      - NDA
    examples:
      - Project management tools
      - HR platforms
      - Travel and expense systems

  low:
    criteria:
      - No access to company data
      - No system integration
      - Easily replaceable
    assessment_requirements:
      - Basic due diligence (public info review)
      - Confirm no data sharing
    review_frequency: Every 3 years or on renewal
    contract_requirements:
      - Standard terms
    examples:
      - Office supply vendors
      - Facilities services
      - General consulting (no data access)

Vendor Assessment Questionnaire

security_questionnaire:
  section_1_governance:
    questions:
      - "Do you have a documented information security policy?"
      - "Is there a designated CISO or security lead?"
      - "Do you conduct annual security risk assessments?"
      - "Do you have a security awareness training program?"
      - "What compliance certifications do you hold? (SOC 2, ISO 27001, etc.)"
      - "When was your last external security audit?"
      - "Do you carry cyber liability insurance? What coverage limits?"
    evidence_requested:
      - Information security policy (or summary)
      - SOC 2 Type II report (or bridge letter)
      - ISO 27001 certificate
      - Cyber insurance certificate

  section_2_access_control:
    questions:
      - "How do you manage user access to systems containing our data?"
      - "Is multi-factor authentication enforced for all personnel?"
      - "How frequently do you conduct access reviews?"
      - "What is your process for revoking access upon employee termination?"
      - "Do you support SSO/SAML integration for customer access?"
      - "How do you manage privileged access?"
    evidence_requested:
      - Access management policy
      - MFA configuration documentation
      - Access review records (sample)

  section_3_data_protection:
    questions:
      - "How is our data encrypted at rest?"
      - "How is our data encrypted in transit?"

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