Third Party Risk Management
Third Party Risk Management
Your Vendors Can Be Your Biggest Security Gap. Know the Risk Before It Becomes a Breach.
A structured program to assess cyber risks for every vendor, contractor, and technology provider with access to your systems or data.
- Dedicated Cybersecurity Advisor
- No Long-Term Contracts
- Built for Schools and Public Agencies
Schools and public agencies share sensitive data with several vendors — student information systems, payroll providers, cloud storage, and more. A security failure at any one of them can become your incident to manage.
32%
Of K-12 cyber incidents in 2025 were vendor-related
"Vendor-related incidents rose from just 4% in 2023 — a nearly 8x increase in two years."
Source: K12 SIX Annual Cybersecurity Report 2025
62M
Student records exposed in a single vendor breach
"PowerSchool was accessed through compromised vendor credentials — affecting districts across the country."
Source: PowerSchool Breach Report 2025
30%
Of all data breaches now involve a third party
"Verizon's 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report found third-party involvement in breaches doubled year over year."
Source: Verizon DBIR 2025
Schools and public agencies share sensitive data with dozens of vendors, software providers, and contractors. Each represents a potential entry point into your network. A breach at one vendor can compromise your entire organization — and your insurance policy may not cover the damage if due diligence wasn’t documented.
A Complete Third Party Risk Management Program
A structured program that gives your organization real visibility into the risk your vendors carry.
Vendor Inventory and Risk Tiering
Every vendor, contractor, and technology provider with access to your systems or data is cataloged and assigned a risk tier based on the sensitivity of that access. High-risk vendors receive deeper scrutiny and more frequent reassessment.
Vendor Security Assessments
Standardized security questionnaires are used to evaluate each vendor's cybersecurity practices, data handling procedures, and compliance posture. Assessment results are documented and stored for audit and insurance purposes.
Contract and Requirements Review
Vendor contracts are reviewed to ensure appropriate data security requirements, breach notification clauses, and liability provisions are in place. Gaps are identified and remediation recommendations are provided.
Direct Vendor Engagement
We act as your independent representative, working directly with vendors to assess risk, collect evidence, and ensure timely responses to security and compliance requirements.
A Perfect Fit for Schools and Public Entities.
Cybersecurity tools are designed for your budget, your team size, and your compliance requirements.
Purpose-Built for Education and Public Agencies
Schools and public agencies face unique vendor relationships — student information systems, special education platforms, payroll and HR providers, and state-mandated reporting tools. The assessment framework is designed around the vendor types and data categories that matter most in the public sector.
Lower Your Insurance Costs
Cyber insurers increasingly require documented vendor risk management programs. Third party risk management compliance documentation is prepared for your insurer.
Audit-Ready Documentation
Every vendor assessment is documented and stored in a format ready for state compliance reviews, board presentations, and insurance applications. No scrambling to reconstruct records when an audit arrives.
From Vendor Chaos to Controlled Risk
A structured process that brings order to your vendor relationships in two steps.
01
Build Your Vendor Inventory
Every third party with access to your systems, data, or networks is identified and documented — including vendors you may have overlooked. Each is assigned a risk tier based on the sensitivity of the data they access and the criticality of the services they provide.
02
Assess and Document
Security questionnaires submitted to each vendor based on their risk tier. Responses are reviewed and scored. Contracts are checked for appropriate data protection clauses. Findings are documented in a format ready for auditors and insurers.
Ready to Protect Your Organization?
Find out how many vendors have access to your sensitive data — and what risks they may be carrying — at no cost and with no commitment.
- A Cybersecurity Advisor responds within 1 business day
- Built exclusively for schools and public entities
- Pricing built for public entity budgets and funding cycles — transparent, with no hidden costs.
Prefer to call? Reach us directly:
888-728-6030 cyberadvisor@resoluteguard.com
Request a Free Assessment
No spam. No obligation. A real Cybersecurity Advisor will reach out — not a sales bot.
Compliance as a Service
Stay audit-ready with continuous compliance monitoring for FERPA, CIPA, and NIST CSF.
AI Risk Assessment
Evaluate your exposure to AI-related threats and build a governance roadmap.
Vulnerability Scanning
Continuously identify security gaps across your systems before attackers can exploit them.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know about our Third Party Risk Management program.
What counts as a "third party" for this program?
Any vendor, contractor, software provider, or service organization that has access to your systems, networks, or data qualifies as a third party. This includes student information system providers, cloud storage vendors, payroll processors, state-mandated reporting platforms, and IT contractors.
How many vendors does a typical school district have?
Most K-12 districts work with between 50 and 200 vendors with some level of data or system access — many more than leadership realizes. The first step of the program is a vendor discovery exercise that often surfaces vendors that were not actively tracked.
What happens if a vendor fails the assessment?
Vendors who do not meet security standards are flagged with specific findings and remediation recommendations. Your organization can use those findings to require vendor improvements, renegotiate contract terms, or make an informed decision about continuing the relationship.
How are vendors assessed?
Vendors complete a standardized security questionnaire aligned with NIST CSF and applicable compliance frameworks. Questionnaires are tailored by risk tier — high-risk vendors complete a more detailed assessment than lower-risk providers. Results are scored, documented, and stored.
How often are vendors reassessed?
High-risk vendors (Tier 1) are reassessed annually at minimum and monitored continuously for security events. Lower-risk vendors are reassessed on a schedule appropriate to their risk level. Any vendor that experiences a public breach triggers an immediate review.
What does contract review cover?
Contracts are reviewed for data security requirements, breach notification timelines, data retention and deletion provisions, liability and indemnification language, and subcontractor management clauses. Missing or weak provisions are flagged with specific recommendations.
Is a vendor risk program required for cyber insurance?
Yes, increasingly. Insurers are adding vendor risk management to their required controls — particularly following large-scale supply chain incidents. Third party risk management compliance documentation is prepared for your insurer.
Which compliance frameworks does this address?
The program maps directly to NIST CSF, FERPA, HIPAA, and CIPA requirements related to vendor oversight and data protection. Audit-ready documentation is maintained for state compliance reviews and board reporting.
Have a question that isn’t answered here?