When you work with external suppliers or IT providers, it's important to understand how they protect your business's sensitive information and systems. A supplier security questionnaire is a tool that helps you gather clear, specific information about their cybersecurity practices. This helps you make informed decisions and reduce the risk of data breaches, downtime, or compliance issues.
Why this matters for UK SMEs
Cybersecurity weaknesses in your suppliers can directly affect your business. For example, if a supplier suffers a ransomware attack, it might disrupt your operations or expose your customer data. This can lead to costly downtime, damage to your reputation, and potential fines under UK GDPR or the Data Protection Act 2018. For small and medium-sized businesses, where resources are often limited, understanding supplier security is essential to protect your productivity and customer trust.
A typical scenario
Consider a UK SME with about 50 staff that outsources its payroll and HR systems to a third-party provider. If the provider's security is weak—such as lacking multi-factor authentication or proper data encryption—an attacker could access sensitive employee data. A good IT partner would have clear policies on access control, regular security audits, and incident response plans. By asking the right questions upfront, the SME can ensure the provider meets minimum cybersecurity standards, reducing risk and helping with audit readiness.
What to include in your supplier security questionnaire
When creating or reviewing a supplier security questionnaire, focus on practical, measurable areas. Here's a checklist of key topics and questions to cover:
- Access control: Do you use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts? How is access to sensitive data restricted and reviewed?
- Data protection: How do you encrypt data at rest and in transit? Where are backups stored, and how often are they tested?
- Incident management: Do you have a formal incident response plan? How quickly do you notify clients of breaches?
- Compliance: Are you certified against standards like Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001? How do you ensure compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act?
- Security policies and training: What ongoing cybersecurity training do your staff receive? How often are your security policies reviewed and updated?
- Third-party risk: Do you assess your own suppliers' security practices? How do you manage risks from subcontractors?
- Technical controls: What antivirus, firewall, and patch management processes do you have in place? How do you monitor for suspicious activity?
Simple internal checks
Alongside the questionnaire, you can perform basic checks internally to verify supplier security claims:
- Request evidence of recent security audits or certifications.
- Review user access lists and permissions related to your data.
- Check backup locations and confirm they are separate from primary systems.
- Ask for sample security policies or incident response procedures.
These steps help you build a clearer picture of the supplier's security posture and identify any gaps.
Next steps
Supplier security questionnaires are a practical way to reduce your cyber risk and support compliance with UK regulations. If you're unsure how to create or evaluate these questionnaires, consider speaking with a trusted managed IT provider or cybersecurity advisor. They can help tailor questions to your business needs and interpret responses to make better-informed decisions.