Managing the rise of third-party risk: strategies for better oversigh

In today’s highly interconnected business environment, organisations depend on an ever-growing network of third parties — from cloud providers and SaaS vendors to supply chain partners and contractors.
This interconnected ecosystem drives innovation and efficiency, but it also increases exposure to risk.
As the saying goes, an organisation is only as secure as its weakest third party.

According to IDC research, nearly one-third of organisations identify third-party risk management as one of their greatest weaknesses.
Geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and evolving regulatory environments have made vendor relationships more complex and unstable.
The problem is not a lack of awareness but weak execution — many organisations still rely on outdated, fragmented oversight processes and infrequent reviews.

A modern approach extends across the entire vendor lifecycle — from selection and contracting to continuous collaboration and secure offboarding.
Success depends on collaboration, transparency, and the smart use of technology, including automation, analytics, and AI-driven monitoring.
Organisations that embed cybersecurity into their third-party relationships strengthen both trust and operational resilience.

In the future, the most successful businesses will be those that can collaborate securely, monitor intelligently, and adapt quickly to an ever-changing risk landscape.