[Cyber Security Terms](/glossary) Vendor Risk Management Program [Blog](/blog)[Breaches](/breaches)[Resources](/resources)[News](/news) [Cyber Security Terms](/glossary) # Vendor Risk Management Program ##### [Catherine Chipeta](/team/catherine-chipeta) updated Sep 11, 2022 ###### Contents ## Vendor Risk Management Program A [vendor risk management (VRM) program](https://www.upguard.com/blog/vendor-risk-management-program) documents the processes and procedures an organization needs to implement an effective [third-party risk management](https://www.upguard.com/blog/third-party-risk-management) policy. VRM programs should ideally outline an [incident response plan](https://www.upguard.com/blog/incident-response-plan) and detail elements covering the entire vendor lifecycle, such as: • [Vendor risk assessments](https://www.upguard.com/blog/vendor-risk-assessment-questionnaire-template) • Vendor onboarding • Vendor offboarding ## Vendor Risk Management Program Best Practices 1\. [Identify your supply chain attack surface](https://www.upguard.com/blog/attack-surface-management) 2\. [Prioritize your high-risk vendors](https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-is-vendor-tiering) 3\. [Assess third-party regulatory compliance ](https://www.upguard.com/blog/compliance-monitoring) 4\. [Practice continuous monitoring](https://www.upguard.com/blog/continuous-security-monitoring) ## Key takeaways * VRM programs help organizations identify and mitigate risks across the third-party and fourth-party attack surfaces. * VRM programs are important because organizations are always responsible for upholding the security of their sensitive data, regardless of who has access to it. * Organizations can use vendor risk management automation to monitor and manage third and fourth-party risks in real time. * * ###### Reviewed by No items found. ###### Author ##### [Catherine Chipeta](/team/catherine-chipeta) ###### Reviewed by ##### [Kaushik Sen](/team/kaushik-sen) ###### Join 27,000+ cybersecurity newsletter subscribers ## Read more about Vendor Risk Management Programs Learn more about Vendor Risk Management Program and the latest issues in cybersecurity. [UpGuard](/blog/compliance-guide-tprm-and-the-gdpr) [Meeting the Third-Party Risk Requirements of the GDPR](/blog/compliance-guide-tprm-and-the-gdpr) #### [Meeting the Third-Party Risk Requirements of the GDPR](/blog/compliance-guide-tprm-and-the-gdpr) Learn how to comply with the third-party risk management requirements of the GDPR [](/team/edward-kost) [Edward Kost](#) November 18, 2024 [UpGuard](/blog/encouraging-vendor-risk-assessment-responses) [How to Make Vendors Respond to Risk Assessments (Faster)](/blog/encouraging-vendor-risk-assessment-responses) #### [How to Make Vendors Respond to Risk Assessments (Faster)](/blog/encouraging-vendor-risk-assessment-responses) Learn how to encourage your vendors to complete your risk assessments much faster. 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[](/team/edward-kost) [Edward Kost](#) November 24, 2025 [View all blog posts](/blog) ## See UpGuard In Action Book a free, personalized onboarding call with one of our cybersecurity experts. [Contact sales](/demo) [Free demo](/demo) ## More from our blog Learn more about the latest issues in cybersecurity. [UpGuard](/blog/find-out-if-youre-exposed-on-the-dark-web) [Find Out if You're Exposed on the Dark Web](/blog/find-out-if-youre-exposed-on-the-dark-web) #### [Find Out if You're Exposed on the Dark Web](/blog/find-out-if-youre-exposed-on-the-dark-web) Answer 5 quick questions to predict what a dark web scan will find about your company. Then run the free scan to see your real exposure. 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