Supply Chain Risk Management

20 - Supply Chain

Supply Chain
Risk Management

Understand and reduce third-party cyber risk. Suppliers, vendors, SaaS platforms and managed service providers often have access to systems, data, networks or business processes. Weak supplier controls increase your organisation's risk. RTCS identifies which suppliers matter most, assesses their security posture and provides practical recommendations to reduce exposure.

  • Supplier security assessments and third-party risk reviews
  • SaaS platform risk assessments
  • Managed service provider reviews
  • Supplier security questionnaire development and review
  • Supplier evidence and assurance report review
  • Contract, control gap and data handling review
  • Critical supplier risk rating
  • Supplier access review across vendor accounts and remote pathways
  • Vendor onboarding, offboarding and ongoing monitoring
Discuss This Service
Third-Party Scope
Suppliers - vendors - SaaS - MSPs - OEM support - contractors - subprocessors
Review Areas
Access - data handling - controls - contracts - certifications - incident notification - offshore
Engagement Types
Supplier assessment - SaaS review - access review - questionnaire - framework uplift
Outputs
Risk register - supplier ratings - evidence review - contract gaps - remediation plan - reporting
ISO 27001 Essential Eight SOCI Act Privacy Act
3P
Third-Party Risk Reviews
SaaS
Platform Assessments
MSP
Provider Reviews
AU
Onshore Delivery
01 / Context

Your security depends on more than your own controls.

Supply chain risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and managing risks from third parties that support your organisation - suppliers that store data, provide software, manage infrastructure, access systems or support critical business services. The goal is to understand what access suppliers have, what risks they introduce and what controls should be in place.

02 / Common Gaps

A supplier can create risk even when your own systems are well managed.

G1

Suppliers with unnecessary access to systems or data

G2

SaaS platforms storing sensitive info without review

G3

Third parties not using strong authentication

G4

Poor incident notification requirements

G5

Limited evidence of supplier security controls

G6

Unclear data retention or deletion practices

G7

Offshore data processing not reviewed

G8

Supplier access not removed when no longer required

G9

Critical suppliers not risk rated

G10

Contracts missing security and privacy requirements

03 / Supplier Assessments

Right-sized reviews based on access, data and criticality.

RTCS assesses supplier cyber security posture based on the access, data and services they provide.

Security policies & controls Identity & access controls MFA & privileged access Data handling practices Cloud & SaaS posture Incident response capability Backup & recovery Certifications & assurance reports Privacy & data protection Questionnaire responses Supplier-provided evidence
04 / SaaS & Access

SaaS & Access

SaaS & Third-Party Platform Review

SaaS platforms often hold sensitive business data and get adopted quickly by business teams. RTCS reviews user and admin access, SSO and MFA, data storage and sharing, audit logging, external sharing, integrations and API access, retention and export options, supplier security documentation and incident notification processes.

Supplier Access Review

Suppliers should only have the access they need, for as long as they need it. RTCS reviews vendor accounts, remote access pathways, shared accounts, privileged access, contractor access, service accounts, guest users, access approval and removal processes, and periodic access reviews. Pair with Identity & Access Management.

05 / Risk Framework

A practical supplier risk process that fits your organisation.

RTCS develops supplier risk frameworks that are right-sized, evidence-based and usable by procurement, risk and security teams.

Supplier risk tiers Questionnaire templates Evidence requirements Onboarding review process Annual review process Risk acceptance process Contract control checklist Supplier register Executive & risk committee reporting

For broader audit and assurance alignment, pair with Governance, Risk & Compliance. For Australian privacy obligations including the WA PRIS Act, see Privacy Advisory.

06 / Supplier Compromise

Supplier Compromise

Before an Incident

Supplier risk register, access controls, contractual notification clauses, evidence requirements and onboarding hygiene that all reduce the chance of a supplier becoming the attack path.

During an Incident

Supplier compromise playbooks, third-party impact triage, contractual notification activation and isolation of supplier connectivity. Pair with Incident Response Readiness and Crisis Management.

Identify to Improve

A practical, staged engagement that makes supplier risk visible and manageable - not a tickbox.

01
Identify

Confirm key suppliers, platforms, data types, access levels and business criticality.

02
Assess

Review supplier controls, evidence, access, data handling and contractual requirements.

03
Rate

Risk-rate suppliers based on exposure, access, data sensitivity, service criticality and control maturity.

04
Recommend

Provide practical actions to reduce supplier risk and improve oversight.

05
Improve

Help strengthen supplier governance, review processes, evidence collection and reporting.

07 / Who It's For & What You Receive

Who It's For & What You Receive

Who This Service Is For

  • Use SaaS platforms or managed service providers
  • Share sensitive data with suppliers
  • Need to assess third-party cyber risk
  • Need supplier evidence for audits or assurance
  • Need to improve vendor onboarding
  • Need to review supplier access
  • Need a supplier risk framework
  • Need to respond to customer or regulatory expectations
  • Want practical supplier risk management without complexity

Typical Deliverables

  • Supplier risk assessment report
  • Third-party risk register
  • Supplier risk ratings
  • SaaS platform review findings
  • Supplier access review
  • Security questionnaire template
  • Evidence review summary
  • Contract control gap observations
  • Supplier onboarding recommendations
  • Ongoing monitoring recommendations
  • Executive summary
  • Prioritised remediation plan
08 / Related Services

Where supply chain risk connects to the rest of the program.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Supplier risk mapped alongside Essential Eight, ISO 27001, ISM and broader assurance.

Privacy Advisory

Supplier privacy reviews, offshore disclosure, APP and WA PRIS Act obligations.

Identity & Access Management

Vendor, contractor, guest and service account controls across the identity program.

Cloud Security

SaaS platform exposure and configuration review across the cloud environments suppliers touch.

AI Security & Consulting

AI vendor reviews, third-party LLM platforms and Copilot governance.

Incident Response Readiness

Supplier compromise playbooks, contractual notification activation and impact triage.

Threat Intelligence

Supplier breach intelligence and vendor-related credential exposure monitoring.

vCISO & Security Advisory

Executive-level oversight of supplier risk as part of the broader security program.

Your organisation's security depends on more than internal controls. Talk to us about supplier security assessments, SaaS risk reviews, third-party access reviews or supply chain risk management support.

Common Questions

What is supply chain risk management?

Supply chain risk management is the process of identifying and managing risks introduced by suppliers, vendors, SaaS platforms and other third parties.

Why does supplier cyber risk matter?

Suppliers may access systems, store data, manage infrastructure or support critical services. Weak supplier controls can increase your organisation's cyber security, privacy and operational risk.

Can you assess SaaS providers?

Yes. RTCS can review SaaS platforms for access controls, data handling, logging, sharing settings, integrations, privacy risks and supplier security evidence.

Can you create supplier security questionnaires?

Yes. RTCS can develop supplier questionnaires that are practical, risk-based and suitable for onboarding or periodic review.

Can you review supplier access?

Yes. RTCS can review supplier accounts, remote access, privileged access, guest users, service accounts and access removal processes.

Can you help with supplier risk reporting?

Yes. RTCS can provide supplier risk summaries, risk registers and executive reporting for boards, committees or management teams.

Can this support audit or compliance requirements?

Yes. Supplier risk assessments can support audit readiness, customer assurance, ISO 27001, Essential Eight uplift, privacy reviews and internal risk management requirements.