What is the VSAQ (Vendor Security Alliance Questionnaire)?
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The VSAQ (Vendor Security Alliance Questionnaire) is a collaborative vendor security assessment template used by member companies to evaluate SaaS providers with a consistent baseline—reducing redundant reviews across portfolios.
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Key takeaways
- VSAQ targets SaaS vendor risk specifically.
- Member buyers may mutually recognize responses.
- Smaller than some SIG profiles but focused on cloud SaaS.
- Vendors should maintain accurate, versioned responses.
- Combine with SOC 2 for attestation depth.
Origin and adoption
The Vendor Security Alliance promoted shared assessments so startups face fewer unique questionnaires from participating buyers.
Adoption varies—confirm which customers accept VSAQ vs custom forms.
Document decisions in your GRC or TPRM system of record so audits replay the same narrative months later—not reconstructed from email.
When residual risk exceeds appetite, capture risk acceptance with approver, expiry date, and compensating controls rather than informal verbal sign-off.
What VSAQ covers
Security policies, access, appsec, incident response, BCP, privacy, and subprocessors tailored to multi-tenant software.
Document decisions in your GRC or TPRM system of record so audits replay the same narrative months later—not reconstructed from email.
When residual risk exceeds appetite, capture risk acceptance with approver, expiry date, and compensating controls rather than informal verbal sign-off.
Completion process
Cross-functional workshop: security, engineering, legal, and privacy.
Store evidence links beside answers for faster updates.
Document decisions in your GRC or TPRM system of record so audits replay the same narrative months later—not reconstructed from email.
When residual risk exceeds appetite, capture risk acceptance with approver, expiry date, and compensating controls rather than informal verbal sign-off.
VSAQ vs SIG vs CAIQ
Use a master control library—answer once, map to SIG, CAIQ, and VSAQ domains to prevent contradictions.
Document decisions in your GRC or TPRM system of record so audits replay the same narrative months later—not reconstructed from email.
When residual risk exceeds appetite, capture risk acceptance with approver, expiry date, and compensating controls rather than informal verbal sign-off.
Publishing strategically
Expose high-level control summaries publicly; keep detailed questionnaires in gated trust rooms.
Document decisions in your GRC or TPRM system of record so audits replay the same narrative months later—not reconstructed from email.
When residual risk exceeds appetite, capture risk acceptance with approver, expiry date, and compensating controls rather than informal verbal sign-off.
Common mistakes to avoid
Treating questionnaires as the program—without inventory, tiering, monitoring, and exit discipline—creates audit findings even when PDFs are polished.
Letting business teams provision production access before security approval reverses your control story and forces painful revocations.
Ignoring fourth parties (subprocessors) until a customer asks creates emergency contract amendments and delays deals.
- Stale SOC reports kept as “current” after scope changes
- Unowned vendors discovered only during incidents
- Risk acceptances without expiry or executive approval
- Duplicate inventories across procurement, finance, and security
Getting started this quarter
Programs fail when they aim for perfection before visibility. Start with an authoritative vendor inventory tied to business owners, then layer tiering and evidence requirements.
Automate reminders for expiring SOC reports, pen tests, and questionnaires before enterprise customers or auditors discover gaps first.
Review open high-risk findings weekly for critical tiers; monthly for the broader population. Escalate patterns—repeat findings, overdue remediations, concentration in one provider—to leadership with clear asks.
- VSAQ targets SaaS vendor risk specifically.
- Member buyers may mutually recognize responses.
- Smaller than some SIG profiles but focused on cloud SaaS.
- Vendors should maintain accurate, versioned responses.
- Combine with SOC 2 for attestation depth.
Prove trust continuously with SecureSlate
SecureSlate combines compliance evidence, trust centers, and vendor assurance so security reviews move from weeks of email to self-serve proof—with controls that stay current.
FAQ
Should we prioritize VSAQ over SIG?
Prioritize what your target customers request—maintain mappings so all stay synchronized.
How long does a mature Trust program take to build?
Many organizations reach defensible operations in two to three quarters: inventory and critical vendor coverage first, then automation and continuous monitoring. Maturity continues to deepen with each audit and customer review cycle.
How does SecureSlate support this workflow?
SecureSlate connects controls, policies, evidence collection, and vendor workflows on one platform—so assessments, remediation, and customer-facing trust artifacts stay aligned instead of living in disconnected spreadsheets.
Disclaimer (legal note)
SecureSlate is not a law firm, and this article does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Regulatory and contractual obligations depend on your entity type, data flows, and jurisdictions—confirm requirements with qualified counsel and your customers as applicable.
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