It’s a familiar scenario: a new supplier enters the picture. Everything checks out. A reliable company, with solid references, registered with the Chamber of Commerce, financially sound. You verify the basics, maybe request an ISO certificate or a certificate of conduct – and the partnership begins.
But how much do you really know about their digital resilience?
The blind spot in your assessment
For many organizations, that’s hard to determine. While suppliers increasingly gain access to critical processes, customer data or internal systems, cybersecurity remains a blind spot. Especially when the partnership is managed by procurement, marketing or HR – departments where digital security is often considered “too technical” to discuss.
And that’s exactly where the biggest risk lies. In recent years, countless incidents have originated from third-party vendors: malicious software entering your network via a supplier, or a data breach in an external tool containing your customer data. And after the fact, the story is always the same: “If we had known this earlier, we would have acted differently.”
The questionnaire falls short
The default solution? A questionnaire. A self-assessment checklist. But in reality, this rarely provides real assurance. The answers are subjective, often filled in by sales or project managers. More importantly, they say little about the current security posture.
And let’s be honest: no one really wants to deal with these forms. Not you. Not your supplier. They cause delays, frustration, and lead to unreliable information. But without a better alternative, it feels like the only option.
What if insight was as easy as a Chamber of Commerce extract?
Imagine you could request a cyber report from your suppliers or clients – just as easily as checking their registration or credit status. Factual, objective information about their digital resilience. Available within minutes. No hassle, no assumptions.
Visibility into data breaches, known vulnerabilities, past incidents or risky behavior. All information you could technically find yourself – with enough expertise and time – but now available at the click of a button.
No surprises. No excuses after this fact.
Such a report could support vendor selection, contract renewals, or serve as a periodic health check. Just like financial checks. Not because you don’t trust your partners – but because you’re responsible. For your own organization and for the chain you’re part of.
Because what you don’t see can hurt you. And in today’s world, surprises are rarely good news.
Digital health is the new normal
The time when financial health was your only concern is over. Supply chain accountability is now embedded in legislation (like NIS2), customer demands and internal governance. Digital resilience must become part of standard risk management.
The question isn’t if this will affect your organization. The question is when you’ll start acting on it. Will you wait until it’s mandatory – or build it into the way you work today?
