We’ve covered why vendor discovery matters, how to mine data streams for comprehensive vendor identification, which vendor categories are commonly overlooked, and how to implement risk-based tiering. Now comes the critical question: how do you actually implement this in your organization and make it sustainable over time?
Chuck Norton from Resilience emphasizes the resource reality: “TPRM is so underfunded like every other cyber security component out there. Even the companies we’re working with have a tiny team—in one case, it’s a 10-person team for a $7 billion multi-state company, and in the other case, it’s a one-person team for an entire state.”
This resource constraint means you need an implementation strategy that delivers quick wins while building toward long-term sustainability.
The 30-60-90 day playbook
Days 0-30: Build the superset
Your first month should focus on collecting and consolidating data from existing systems. Don’t worry about perfection—focus on comprehensive coverage.
Week 1: Data extraction
- Export accounts payable vendor master file (last 24 months)
- Pull corporate card transactions and expense reports (last 12 months)
- Extract identity provider application lists and user assignments
- Download secure web gateway top domains report (last 6 months)
- Export contract management system vendor index
Week 2: Initial consolidation
- Import all data streams into a single spreadsheet or database
- Apply basic normalization rules (lowercase names, strip corporate suffixes)
- Create unique vendor identifiers for initial deduplication
- Flag obvious duplicates for manual review
Week 3: Provisional classification
- Assign provisional business owners based on spending departments or app usage
- Apply simple tiering rules: critical process + sensitive data = Tier 1
- Identify top 50 vendors by spend and usage for priority assessment
- Create basic vendor profiles with available information
Week 4: Initial outreach
- Contact business owners for top 20 vendors to validate information
- Request basic information: service description, data types, criticality
- Begin collecting contract documents and security attestations
- Set up tracking for responses and follow-ups
Days 31-60: Resolve and enrich
Your second month focuses on cleaning up the data and beginning systematic vendor engagement.
Week 5-6: Entity resolution
- Deduplicate vendors using fuzzy matching and tax ID correlation
- Map doing-business-as names to parent companies
- Research vendors using D-U-N-S numbers or similar business identifiers
- Consolidate vendor records and update ownership assignments
Week 7: Enrichment and validation
- Add vendor domains, URLs, and primary contact information
- Collect contract metadata: renewal dates, termination clauses, security requirements
- Begin pilot outreach to top 20 vendors for subprocessor lists and incident response contacts
- Validate business criticality assessments with process owners
Week 8: Process establishment
- Create renewal calendar with security artifact requirements
- Establish 30-day pre-renewal security review checkpoints
- Document vendor onboarding requirements for procurement team
- Set up exception handling process for urgent vendor needs
Days 61-90: Govern and automate
Your third month should establish ongoing processes and begin automation.
Week 9-10: Policy integration
- Update procurement policies to require security reviews
- Mandate single sign-on for all vendor access where feasible
- Establish vendor access provisioning and deprovisioning procedures
- Create vendor incident notification requirements
Week 11: Automation setup
- Implement weekly automated feeds from identity providers
- Set up secure web gateway and DNS log analysis
- Configure accounts payable integration for new vendor detection
- Establish contract management system alerts for renewals
Week 12: Monitoring and reporting
- Launch Tier 1 vendor continuous monitoring
- Create executive dashboard showing inventory coverage and freshness
- Establish quarterly business review process for critical vendors
- Document lessons learned and refine processes
Building a comprehensive vendor discovery and risk management program doesn’t require an army of resources or years of preparation. By following this 90-day framework, you can move from scattered vendor data to systematic governance while demonstrating tangible value at each milestone.
Start with the superset to capture what you have, spend your second month cleaning and enriching that data, and use your third month to establish the automated processes that make everything sustainable. The key isn’t perfection from day one—it’s building momentum with quick wins that justify continued investment while establishing the foundation for long-term maturity. Your vendor landscape will keep evolving, but with these processes in place, you’ll finally have the visibility and control to manage that evolution effectively.
