Executive-ready dependency mapping for third-party risk

Before you assess a single supplier, understand where your business actually depends on them. Map the risk before you measure it.

0 of 10
Companies with undocumented dependencies
0 days
Average time to
map a critical
service
0 map
One source of truth, executive-ready
Vendor dependency map · Interactive
WHERE / 04-A
Wholesale Payments£2.4B / dayCommercial Lending£890M bookTrade Finance120 marketsPayment SettlementLoan OriginationTrade MatchingCloud ProviderCRITICAL VENDORCustomer PII4.2M recordsClients340 enterprises
Vendor concentration detectedRISK · HIGH

Drag any node to explore the network. One cloud provider supports three critical business services touching 4.2M customer records.

The Three Executive Questions

Every board asks the same three questions.

One platform, built to answer them - with a map, not a spreadsheet.

Compliance

Can we prove we are compliant?

Evidence-backed assurance mapped to DORA, NIS2, SOC 2, ISO 27001 and PRA SS2/21 - board-ready, on demand.

Data Protection

Can our suppliers protect our data?

See which vendors touch customer records, where the data flows, and which controls are actually in place.

Continuity

Can the business continue if a key supplier fails?

Dependency mapping, impact analysis and tested continuity plans - so Monday morning has an answer.

The Problem

You can't assure what you can't see.

Most third-party programmes start with a questionnaire. They end with a spreadsheet nobody reads.

Meanwhile the business runs on dependencies no one has mapped - services, systems, data flows, quiet vendors buried three layers deep.

When the outage happens, the board asks one question: where?

Invisible fourth parties

Your supplier's supplier can take the business down. You have never met them.

Compliance ≠ resilience

SOC 2 doesn't tell you whether payroll stops on Monday morning.

Assessments without context

A score means nothing until you know what service it protects.

The Methodology

A different starting point. Where.

Not another questionnaire engine. A dependency-first methodology that gives executives a map before it gives auditors a report.

  1. 01

    Map where you depend

    Start with business services. Trace every process, system, vendor and data flow that keeps them running.

  2. 02

    Rank what actually matters

    Criticality is a function of impact, not questionnaire length. We weight by revenue, customer and regulator.

  3. 03

    Assess with context

    Send the right questions to the right suppliers - the ones that touch your critical paths.

  4. 04

    Report to the board

    One page. One map. Executive-ready. No jargon, no 90-slide deck.

The Platform

Everything you need to manage third-party risk with confidence.

Our platform brings together every stage of Third-Party Risk Management into a single, integrated solution.

From understanding business dependencies and assessing supplier risk to managing incidents, improving supplier performance and strengthening business continuity, every capability works together to provide complete visibility and assurance.

Rather than treating every supplier equally, our platform helps you focus your effort where it matters most.

VenDefend platform dependency map showing vendors, business services and systems in a graph view

Platform Journey

Four connected stages.  One integrated platform.

01

Understand

Understand where your business depends on third parties.

This is the foundation of our methodology. Before assessing supplier risk, organisations need to understand which suppliers support critical business services, systems, processes and data.

Business Continuity Management

Map critical dependencies, analyse business impact, and maintain continuity plans.

Business Outcomes

  • Understand critical dependencies.
  • Identify single points of failure.
  • Improve operational resilience.
  • Make better business decisions.

Platform Integration

Every capability works together.

Information flows naturally between modules, eliminating duplicate effort and providing a single view of supplier risk and business impact.

  1. 1

    A supplier assessment may identify a risk.

  2. 2

    The risk is automatically added to the Risk Register.

  3. 3

    Mitigation actions are assigned.

  4. 4

    Notifications keep everyone informed.

  5. 5

    A supplier incident can automatically create a new risk.

  6. 6

    Business Impact Analysis shows what the incident affects.

  7. 7

    Performance trends help determine whether additional oversight is needed.

  8. 8

    Executive dashboards provide complete visibility.

Platform Overview

One integrated flow, not six disconnected tools.

Explore how information moves through the platform. Select any capability to see how it plugs into the wider assurance story.

Platform flow · Interactive
STEP 01 / 09

Business Context

Services, systems, data

Dependency Mapping

Who depends on whom

Vendor Assessments

Focused, evidence-led

Risk Register

Owned, tracked, resolved

Mitigation Actions

From risk to resolution

Incident Management

Investigate, learn, close

Business Continuity

Impact, recovery, testing

Performance

Trends & scorecards

Executive Dashboards

One page for the board

Click a node to explore. Hover to trace connections.Every step feeds the next automatically

Step 01

Business Context

Start with the business, not the supplier.

Capture the business services, processes, systems and data that keep the organisation running. This becomes the map every downstream capability plugs into.

Inside this capability

  • Critical business services
  • Systems & processes
  • Data classifications
  • Ownership & tiering

Business outcome

One shared picture of what actually matters.

Executive Dashboard

Executive assurance, not just supplier risk.

Leaders can answer three questions at any time drawing on every capability across the platform.

  • Can we prove we are compliant?
  • Can our suppliers protect our data?
  • Can the business continue if a key supplier fails?
Executive View
Live
Compliance posture
98%

SOC 2 · ISO 27001 · DORA

Critical suppliers
42

12 tier-one

Open risks
7

3 mitigating

Continuity coverage
94%

of critical services

Every capability contributes to answering these questions, delivering executive assurance rather than simply managing supplier risk.

Business Outcomes

What executives get on Monday morning.

0%
Faster board-ready reporting
0.0×
More critical dependencies surfaced
0 days
From kick-off to first executive map
0 hours
Spent on questionnaires that lead nowhere
"A really excellent platform backed with expert guidance and advice. I encourage you to check it out!"
QSURE

Built for the frameworks executives are held to

DORAEU digital operational resilience
NIS2EU network & information security
JOINT STANDARDSSA FSCA & PA Regulations
SOC 2Trust services criteria
ISO 27001Information security management
PRA SS2/21UK outsourcing & third-party risk
NIST CSFCybersecurity framework

Start with Where.

A 45-minute executive review. We map one critical service with you and show you what your current programme is missing.