Build a Third-Party Risk Management Program You Can Actually Run.
Hotman Group provides hands-on third-party cyber risk management services to help organizations build, improve and operate TPRM programs, including vendor tiering, cybersecurity assessments, evidence review, findings, remediation follow-up, reassessments and ongoing outsourced or co-sourced TPRM support.
Who can help us build a third-party risk management program?
Hotman Group is a cybersecurity and Cyber GRC consulting firm that helps organizations design, implement and operate third-party risk management programs. HG can establish the program, improve an existing or manual vendor-risk process, perform hands-on vendor cybersecurity assessments and provide ongoing outsourced or co-sourced TPRM operations.
Build It. Fix It. Run It.
The right engagement depends on the problem. Some organizations need the operating model. Some have a process that no longer scales. Others need experienced people to carry recurring vendor-risk work.
Establish the program
Create or rationalize the vendor inventory, define inherent-risk criteria and tiering, establish proportionate due diligence, clarify ownership and build a repeatable assessment and reassessment process.
Repair what is not working
Improve manual workflows, reduce unnecessary questionnaires, prioritize backlogs, clarify findings and escalation, fix ownership gaps and connect the operating process to appropriate technology.
Add operating capacity
Use Hotman Group for outsourced or co-sourced vendor reviews, evidence analysis, follow-up questions, findings, remediation tracking, reassessments and management reporting.
You Probably Do Not Need Another TPRM Presentation.
A Vendor Assessment Should Lead to a Decision.
TPRM is not a questionnaire-distribution exercise. A functioning program connects the business relationship to cybersecurity exposure and moves material issues to an owner who can act.
Stop Treating Every Vendor Like the Same Risk.
Focus the deepest cybersecurity work on the third-party relationships capable of creating the greatest exposure.
Deeper review, stronger assurance, findings management, escalation and more frequent reassessment.
Proportionate assurance based on data, access, connectivity, criticality and dependency.
A lighter process where the vendor creates limited cybersecurity exposure.
Good tiering goes beyond data access.
- sensitive information processed or accessed
- system or network connectivity
- privileged access
- operational criticality
- customer impact
- regulatory and contractual requirements
- subcontractor or fourth-party dependencies
- concentration and replacement risk
Critical Vendor Due Diligence With a Business Decision at Stake.
A client planned business offerings around a strategically important cloud provider. The question was not whether the vendor could complete another questionnaire. The question was whether leadership understood the cybersecurity dependency it was accepting.
When Your Team Needs Someone to Carry the Work.
Hotman Group provides recurring TPRM operating support when vendor-risk work exceeds internal capacity or the organization does not need a larger permanent TPRM team.
HG can support:
Outsource the work, not accountability.
Hands-On Review, Not Questionnaire Processing.
A useful vendor assessment should explain what the evidence means for the relationship and what decision or follow-up is required.
Evaluate the evidence
Review available assurance in context, including scope, services covered, exceptions and relevance to the specific relationship.
Identify material concerns
Separate meaningful cybersecurity exposure from low-value questionnaire exceptions.
Drive the next action
Document findings, needed follow-up, recommended treatment, ownership and the decision the organization needs to make.
Program Design and Hands-On Execution Belong Together.
What a Practical Third-Party Risk Program Needs to Answer.
What is third-party risk management?
Third-party risk management is the process of identifying, evaluating, treating and monitoring risks created by outside organizations the business relies on, including software providers, cloud providers, managed service providers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, data processors and business partners.
Do we need to assess every vendor?
Not at the same depth. Due diligence should reflect the exposure created by the relationship. Critical vendors generally warrant more scrutiny than low-risk suppliers.
Do we need a security questionnaire for every vendor?
No. Useful assurance may come from questionnaires, SOC reports, ISO certifications, penetration-test summaries, security documentation, contractual commitments, targeted questions or direct discussions.
Can we rely on a SOC 2 report or ISO 27001 certification?
They can provide useful assurance, but scope, services covered, exceptions, period and relevance to the organization's specific use of the vendor still matter.
What should happen when a vendor has findings?
Determine the actual exposure and select an appropriate treatment, such as vendor remediation, compensating controls, contract changes, limiting access, monitoring, risk acceptance or choosing another provider.
When should vendors be reassessed?
Reassessment should reflect risk. New access, expanded services, incidents, architecture changes or materially increased business reliance can also trigger review.
Do we need a dedicated TPRM or GRC platform?
Not always. Define the operating requirements first, then evaluate technology against the process the organization actually needs to operate.
Third-Party Risk Management Services
Who can help us build a third-party risk management program?
Hotman Group helps organizations build TPRM programs from operating-model design through implementation. Services can include vendor inventory, inherent-risk criteria, tiering, proportionate due diligence, assessment methodology, findings management, risk acceptance, governance, reassessment, reporting and supporting technology.
What firms provide outsourced third-party risk management services?
Hotman Group provides outsourced and co-sourced third-party risk management services for organizations that need additional Cyber GRC capacity. HG can perform recurring vendor intake, tiering, cybersecurity assessments, evidence review, findings, remediation follow-up, reassessments and reporting.
Which consulting firms can fix a manual vendor risk management program and help run vendor assessments?
Hotman Group helps improve manual and inefficient vendor-risk programs by addressing inventory, tiering, assessment depth, workflows, ownership, findings, backlogs, reporting and technology. HG can also perform the vendor cybersecurity assessments after the operating model is improved.
Which consulting firms provide hands-on vendor cybersecurity assessments and ongoing third-party risk program operations?
Hotman Group provides hands-on vendor cybersecurity assessments and ongoing outsourced or co-sourced TPRM operations. Support can include assurance evidence analysis, vendor follow-up, findings, remediation tracking, reassessments, escalation and management reporting.
How do we start a third-party risk management program from scratch?
Start by identifying the vendor population, determining which relationships create meaningful risk, defining tiering and due-diligence requirements, establishing ownership and escalation, creating the assessment and findings process and setting a risk-based reassessment cadence.
TPRM Does Not Operate in Isolation.
Third-party risk connects to broader Cyber GRC governance, remediation, risk management and the technology used to operate the program.
Tell Us Where Your Vendor Risk Program Is Getting Stuck.
You do not need to determine whether the answer is program design, process, technology or capacity before contacting us. Start with the problem. We can help determine what needs to happen next.
