What is a Vendor Security Assessment?
A Vendor Security Assessment reviews a supplier's security before you give them access to your systems or data: what they say they do, the evidence behind it, the access they would hold and what your contract should require.
Every vendor you connect becomes part of your security. If a supplier with access to your files or systems is breached, you are exposed too, and the notice you receive may come late.
Questionnaires help only when someone reads the answers critically. Many small businesses either accept whatever a vendor says or skip the check because they lack the time or the expertise.
We review the vendor for you. That means what they say they do, what evidence supports it, what access they would hold and what your contract should say. You decide with the facts in hand, and you know what to ask for before you sign.
Who needs it?
- A business about to adopt a new software or cloud service
- A company giving an outside provider remote access
- A team asked by a customer to show how it manages its own vendors
- An owner choosing between two suppliers with different security stories
What problems does it address?
- A supplier questionnaire nobody has the time or expertise to read critically
- Vendors with access to your files or systems that were never checked
- Contracts signed without security requirements
- Learning late that a supplier was breached
What we assess
- The vendor's security controls and the evidence behind them
- What data and systems the vendor would be able to reach
- Authentication and access controls on the connection
- Technical integration with your environment
- The vendor's own third-party dependencies
- Incident notification, and how fast you would be told
- Contractual security requirements worth asking for
What you receive
- A risk summary for the vendor, in plain language
- Questions the vendor still needs to answer
- Conditions to set on access, such as limited permissions or required MFA
- Security terms to request in the contract
- A recommendation you can take to the decision maker
What happens afterward?
You decide what to do with the findings, and with whom. Your team or IT provider can carry them out, with Avertix guiding the changes and retesting them if you want, or you can keep senior help on hand through an advisory arrangement. Many clients stop after the report.
How the engagement works
Free consultation
A 45-minute call with a senior consultant about your situation. It is a conversation, not an assessment. You leave with a recommended next step.
Scope and price
Scope, deliverables and price are agreed in writing before any work starts.
Assessment
The consultant who scoped the work does it. Requests to your team stay small, and we work with your IT provider where you have one.
Findings and walkthrough
You get a written report and a walkthrough. Findings are ranked, so you know what to do first and what can wait.
