Internal Security Assessments and Your Vendors

Internal Security Assessments and Your Vendors

An internal security assessment (ISA) from your vendors can help you understand the security risks associated with working with those vendors and can help you identify any potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in their security measures. Here are some reasons why you should require your vendors to complete an ISA:

• Protecting sensitive data: If you're sharing sensitive data with your vendors, it's important to ensure that they have appropriate security measures in place to protect that data. An ISA can help you verify that your vendors have adequate security controls in place to protect your data.

• Compliance requirements: Depending on your industry, you may be required to conduct security assessments of your vendors to comply with GDPR, HIPAA, HITECH, PCI-DSS, or other state and federal regulations. Failing to comply with these regulations can result in fines, legal action, or damage to your company's reputation.

• Third-party risk management: Working with vendors introduces additional risk to your organization. An ISA can help you identify potential vulnerabilities in your vendor's security measures and enable you to work with the vendor to mitigate those risks.

• Improved security posture: By requiring ISAs of your vendors, you can ensure that your company is working with vendors who take security seriously. This can help improve your overall security posture and reduce the risk of security incidents.

Overall, requiring an ISA of your vendors can help you make informed decisions about your partners and ensure that you're taking the necessary steps to protect your organization and sensitive data.

If you do not have your own ISA, please feel free to download our ISA template.