Enterprise vendor security questionnaires look long, but they keep asking about the same few areas. Use this template to prepare your answers and evidence before the next one arrives.
Key Takeaways
- Most questionnaires cover the same areas: governance, identity, devices, data, operations, incidents, and vendors.
- Keep one reusable answer library with evidence, and update it when your controls change.
- Never claim a control you don’t have. Say what is true and when any gap will close.
What a vendor security questionnaire is
It’s the list of security questions a customer sends before buying from you. An enterprise vendor security questionnaire can run to hundreds of questions. Some buyers write their own. Others use a standard form, such as the SIG from Shared Assessments or the CAIQ from the Cloud Security Alliance, both of which come in shorter and longer versions.
The format varies, but the subject matter doesn’t. If you’ve answered one carefully, you’ve done much of the work for the next one.
Template: the questions to prepare for
Copy these into a shared document and add three columns: your answer, the evidence, and the owner.
- Governance: Do you have written security policies? Who is responsible for security? How often do you review your risks? Do you have a SOC 2 report or other independent audit?
- Identity and access: Is MFA enforced for all users? What type of MFA do admins use? Do you support SSO? How often do you review access? How quickly is access removed when someone leaves?
- Devices: Are all company laptops managed? Is full-disk encryption enforced? How do you patch them? Can you remotely wipe a device? Are personal devices allowed?
- Data protection: Is customer data encrypted in transit and at rest? Where is it stored? Who can access it? How do you delete it when a contract ends?
- Application security: Do you scan for vulnerabilities? Do you run penetration tests? How are code changes reviewed? How quickly do you fix critical issues?
- Operations and logging: What do you log, and for how long? Who reviews alerts? Do you have tested backups? What are your recovery time and recovery point targets?
- Incident response: Do you have a written plan? When was it last tested? How quickly will you notify customers of an incident?
- Email security: Do you publish SPF, DKIM, and DMARC? Is DMARC at enforcement?
- Vendors: Which subprocessors handle customer data? How do you review their security?
- People: Do you run background checks and security training? Do employees sign confidentiality agreements?
How to write a strong answer
State the control, how it’s enforced, and what evidence you can provide. Compare these two answers to “Is MFA enforced?”
Weak: “Yes, we take security seriously and use industry best practices.”
Strong: “Yes. MFA is required for all users through Entra ID Conditional Access. Admins use phishing-resistant methods. We can provide a policy export on request.”
If you don’t have a control yet, say so and give a date: “Not yet. Device management rollout finishes on March 31. Until then, laptops are encrypted and tracked manually.” Security reviewers would rather see a known gap with a plan than a “yes” that fails later.
What enterprise reviewers look for
Enterprise reviewers tend to look for inconsistency. If you claim universal MFA but also say contractors use shared logins, expect a follow-up. They may also ask for evidence, such as a SOC 2 report, policy documents, or screenshots.
An inaccurate answer can matter beyond the review, because questionnaire answers can end up referenced in your contract. Ask counsel if you’re unsure how yours will be used.
Close the gaps first
Many of these answers come down to Microsoft 365, identity, device, and email settings, which are often days of work rather than months. Take our Security Questionnaire Readiness assessment to see where you stand. If a deal is waiting, our cybersecurity review maps the questions to your actual controls and helps you close gaps before you answer. If buyers want an audit report, start with our SOC 2 readiness checklist.