5 Questions to Ask Your SaaS Vendor About Security

Before signing on with a SaaS vendor, it’s crucial to evaluate their security posture. Asking the right questions can help you gauge their commitment to security, ensure regulatory compliance, and avoid future risks. Let’s dive into the key areas you should explore.

1. How Is Your Data Encrypted—at Rest and in Transit?

Not all encryption is created equal. Vendors may advertise “encryption” but leave out key details that affect how secure your data actually is.

Ask about:

• Encryption standards used (e.g., AES-256 for data at rest, TLS 1.2+ for data in transit)

• Key management practices (including customer-managed keys, if available)

• Alignment with compliance requirements like GDPR, HIPAA, or local data residency laws

Don’t settle for vague assurances—ask for specifics.

2. What Authentication and Access Controls Do You Support?

Strong authentication is your first line of defense. If a vendor only supports basic usernames and passwords, that’s a red flag.

Look for:

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), ideally supporting modern methods like passkeys, or at least methods like TOTP or push-based auth.

• Single Sign-On (SSO) integrations with your identity provider (IdP)

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for least-privilege access

• Adaptive or risk-based authentication for sensitive operations

These aren’t “nice to haves”—they’re expected.

3. How Frequently Do You Undergo Security Audits and Testing?

Security isn’t a one-and-done effort. It’s a process, and a good vendor embraces third-party validation.

Dig into:

• Frequency and scope of independent audits (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, etc.)

• Penetration testing cadence—and whether results are shared with customers

• Internal security reviews and vulnerability management practices

Vendors should be open about their processes, not defensive.

4. What Happens When Something Goes Wrong?

Incidents happen. The real question is whether the vendor is prepared to detect, respond to, and recover from them.

Request clarity on:

• Their incident response plan and who’s on the hook when something breaks

• Detection and response timeframes—ideally backed by SLAs

• Notification timelines (will you find out in real time or days later?)

• Backup and recovery procedures in case of data loss

You don’t want to be testing their response plan in real time without knowing what to expect.

5. How Is My Data Segregated from Other Customers?

In multi-tenant SaaS systems, your data lives on shared infrastructure. Isolation is key to preventing accidental or malicious exposure.

Ask the vendor:

• How do you separate customer environments—logically and physically?

• What controls prevent cross-tenant data access or leakage?

• Have you had any prior incidents of tenant data exposure?

You should never have to worry about another customer’s mistake impacting your data.

Taking Control of SaaS Security with ShiftControl

Choosing secure vendors is only step one. Once they’re in your stack, you still need to manage access, enforce policy, and track what’s going on.

ShiftControl helps you do exactly that:

• Centralized Access Control – View and manage who has access to what, across all your SaaS tools

• Usage Insights – Spot dormant accounts, redundant apps, and potential security risks

• Integrated with Your Stack – Works with identity providers, log sources, and ticketing tools for streamlined security ops

Because security doesn’t stop at procurement—it lives in the day-to-day.