The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program was developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that defense contractors and subcontractors meet the cybersecurity requirements needed to safely and responsibly handle government data. Of primary concern is how commercial vendors safeguard Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

As the security expectations of customers grow and the regulatory landscape gets more complex, businesses are recognizing the value of investing in and demonstrating security. As the demand for proving compliance grows, so does the demand for HITRUST, given its reputable assessment process. ‍ Achieving HITRUST certification involves demonstrating compliance with a detailed set of controls designed to manage and mitigate information security risks.

‍Security questionnaires are a standard part of almost every due diligence process before companies sign on to work with a new third party. ‍ By asking detailed questions via questionnaires, organizations learn about a seller’s security controls and compliance with relevant standards. With that information, they determine how and if a partnership with that third party will expand their attack surface and increase risk—and ultimately decide if the increased risk is acceptable.

This past month, the Vanta team launched new features to help you: ‍ ‍ ‍

As organizations sell to more discerning buyers, scrutiny on security and compliance practices grows. It’s certainly warranted—the frequency of third-party breaches is on the rise. In our State of Trust Report, almost half of all organizations surveyed say that a vendor of theirs experienced a data breach since they started working together. ‍

These days, the bar for proving trust keeps getting higher. A SOC 2 report used to signal the end of security reviews—now, it marks the beginning. Security and GRC teams are tasked with monitoring and remediating a growing web of controls, vendors, questionnaires, and risks, which is made even more complex by discerning buyers.

Our most recent State of Trust report found that 55 percent of global businesses think security risks for their organization have never been higher. Naturally, to mitigate an increase in risks in today’s complex threat landscape, businesses invest time and money in building a robust cybersecurity posture. But many security initiatives take a lot of time, money, and manual support to implement and maintain. This is a problem for a few reasons. Security budgets are tight.

This month, the Vanta team launched new functionalities to help you, including: ‍ ‍ ‍