ShieldRisk Compliance Guide: Map ISO, GDPR, HIPAA & SOC 2 in One Dashboard
Cognitive Compliance
Enterprise-Grade TPRM with Cognitive Compliance and Risk Intelligence
In today’s complex digital ecosystem, third-party vendors are critical to operations, but they also introduce security, operational, and compliance risks. Regulatory frameworks such as ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and DPDPA demand that organizations take ownership of vendor-related risks through a structured Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) process. A robust TPRM compliance strategy protects data and systems, business reputation, and customer trust. It ensures that third parties handling sensitive data meet security, privacy, and contractual obligations, creating a defensible position during audits, regulatory inspections, and breach investigations.
Vendor Risk Classification
Begin by segmenting your vendors based on their access to sensitive data, critical business operations, and inherent risk. High-risk vendors (e.g., cloud providers or data processors) must undergo deeper assessments and continuous monitoring. This tiering helps prioritize risk mitigation efforts effectively.
Due Diligence & Background Checks
Conduct comprehensive due diligence before onboarding any vendor. This includes evaluating their security certifications (e.g., ISO, SOC 2), financial stability, history of data breaches, and operational resilience. Periodic revalidation ensures vendors remain compliant over time.
Compliance Mapping
Assess vendor controls against applicable regulatory frameworks such as ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, or DPDPA. Maintain documented evidence of how each vendor satisfies compliance requirements and update these mappings as laws or vendor processes evolve.
Signed Contracts & DPAs
Formalize every vendor relationship with signed contracts, Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These documents should clearly define responsibilities, security obligations, breach notification timelines, and data handling terms.
Questionnaire-Based Assessments
Deploy standardized and risk-based questionnaires to gather information on vendor policies, technical safeguards, incident response, and compliance controls. Tailor the depth of assessments based on vendor risk tier and verify responses with supporting documentation.
Continuous Monitoring
TPRM doesn’t stop at onboarding. Monitor vendors continuously through periodic assessments, automated alerts, SLA tracking, and threat intelligence integrations. This ensures that changes in vendor risk profiles are detected and managed promptly.
Access Management & Data Governance
Ensure that vendors follow strict access controls and data governance principles. Define who can access what data, from where, and for how long. This reduces the attack surface and helps enforce compliance with privacy regulations and internal policies.
Incident Notification & Response Plans
Vendors must be required to report security incidents, data breaches, or operational disruptions within a clearly defined timeframe. Establish escalation paths and collaborative incident response protocols to minimize impact and demonstrate compliance readiness.
Audit Trails & Reporting
Maintain a centralized audit log of all vendor assessments, approvals, control reviews, and escalations. These records are crucial for internal compliance validation, external audits, and responding to regulatory inquiries with full transparency.
