5 Tips to Quickly and Satisfactorily Complete Security Questionnaires

Let’s face it, absolutely no one enjoys completing security questionnaires. When your customers or prospective customers request that your small business answer 100+ security questions, you could think of a million other things you would much rather be doing. In this article, I am going to share with you the 5 ways to quickly and satisfactorily complete security questionnaires so you can reclaim your time and prove that it is safe to do business with your company.

Make the Assessor’s Job Easy: First and foremost, focus on making the assessor’s job easier. As a former risk assessor for Bank of America, I observed that vendors who made my job easier typically had a much more pleasant assessment experience than vendors who were difficult. The way to make your assessor’s job easier is to read each question carefully and provide enough detail in your response to fully answer it. Providing incomplete responses will cost you more time in the end because the assessor will have to send you follow-up questions for clarification.

Distinguish Between Question Types: Pay special attention to the question types. Some will require evidence in addition to your response. For evidence-required questions, clearly identify the evidence you provide.

Identify Not Applicable Questions: Identify the questions that are not applicable based on the products or services you provide. Mark each such question as “N/A” and give a brief explanation of why the security control asked about is not applicable.

Leverage Your Cloud Service Provider’s Security Controls: If your company is cloud-based, then many of the questions related to physical security, IT infrastructure, and software development are likely the responsibility of your Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Respond to those questions by providing information about your CSP’s controls and a link to your CSP’s security page for additional information.

Plan Accordingly: Do not procrastinate. Waiting until the day before the deadline to complete the questionnaire likely will yield unsatisfactory results, which could result in you losing a client or might invite a deeper examination of your information security program.

Following these top 5 suggestions will undoubtedly help your company quickly and satisfactorily complete security questionnaires. As a result, you will successfully prove that it is safe to do business with your company. A secure business is a growing business. If this all seems overwhelming, then you can always outsource this activity to Aspire Cyber. Let us fully manage your cybersecurity compliance so that you can focus on what you do best—delivering value for your customers and growing your business.