As companies increasingly rely on cloud and SaaS offerings to run their organizations, they expose more business-critical and consumer data to potential risk. In order to take that leap with confidence, their strategic software partners must demonstrate they are doing all they can to protect this data.

That's probably why so much of the language we use in third-party risk management invokes the idea of trust: zero trust; trust-but-verify; trust centers; heck, even platform makes it fast, safe, and easy for buyers to evaluate the security information of their vendors, and it empowers software sellers to proactively share their security documentation. This level of trust is so important to us that we even make G2 has become the world's largest, most trusted software marketplace by collecting millions of validated customer reviews for thousands of products.

These core elements together—thorough security assessments and real-world customer reviews—create a more holistic picture of third-party trust. Whistic's new integration with G2 combines security profiles and product profiles in a single place. That means software sellers can lead with trust, while software buyers can incorporate security into their evaluation process from the beginning.

Let's take a closer look at how Whistic's G2 integration works and what it means for your business.

Whistic+G2: A Force Multiplier for Trust

There's nothing less trustworthy than the snake-oil salesman that just keeps saying "Trust me," without giving you a reason to, so maybe it's best to start with some supporting data.

G2's 2023 Software Buyer Behavior Report found that only 24% of organizations include an Infosec professional in the research phase of the purchasing process. Why? Well, 88% of companies said that they need to move too quickly to include the security pros.

Taken together, these statistics send a clear message from buyers to sellers: make it easier and faster for us to prove we can trust you. That's where Whistic+G2 comes in.

Our integration puts security front and center by allowing software sellers to:

Link their Whistic Security Profile to their G2 Product Profile, so buyers can understand vendor security posture right away—and at the push of a button
Add a Whistic badge to their G2 profile so buyers can identify the most transparent organizations at a glance
Share their security posture even if they aren't currently a Whistic customer by claiming their free Whistic Profile

What Does Whistic+G2 Mean for Business Outcomes?

The ability to proactively share and view security information and compare it with other vendors side-by-side is a win/win for both buyers and sellers:

Sellers gain a competitive advantage—We already mentioned how valuable transparency is as a differentiator, but this integration also makes it much easier for prospects to find and work with software providers.
Buyers expedite the procurement process without neglecting security—G2's reporting shows that research and evaluation are the most time-consuming parts of the buying journey. The integration puts everything buyers need in a single platform, so they can evaluate software options AND understand the security risks while still saving time.

Now, let's talk about the two key reasons these advantages are possible through Whistic's G2 integration.

1. Transparency is the fast-track to trust

Our survey respondents proved overwhelmingly that transparency is a huge differentiator when making a software purchasing decision (remember that 96% number we cited earlier?)

But what does it actually mean to be transparent about security posture, and why is it so important?

Transparency means making the way you conduct business visible to customers and prospects. It's one thing to claim that you are a secure software provider, but transparency means showing your work and proving it.

The Whistic+G2 integration is the "how" of transparency. Our survey data show that for 90% of buyers, publicly publishing and sharing security information increases trust. By linking their Whistic Security Profile to G2, software companies put their security posture front and center. This shows they have nothing to hide and that they take risks seriously; it also provides the details and documentation to back it up.

Most importantly, it creates a clear distinction between transparent software companies who want to make the buying process as easy as possible for their customers and those that don't—or can't because their security posture won't hold up to scrutiny.

2. Trust increases the velocity of decision-making and sales processes

One of the greatest challenges in third-party risk assessment is time. In our 90% of sales reps say they had at least one deal push every quarter because they couldn't respond to a security review in time.

When customers languish through endless procurement processes, they aren't addressing a key business need that led them to evaluate solutions in the first place. That's lost value. When software vendors are losing deals to more nimble competitors, that hurts revenue. This old way of conducting security reviews is the textbook definition of a "necessary evil".

Whistic Assess automates this process for buyers by giving them instant, proactive access to the security posture of thousands of vendors in the Whistic Trust Catalog. Sellers can leverage dozens of standard frameworks with Whistic Profile, so they can share their security posture with their prospects immediately during evaluation.

And Whistic's G2 integration brings both sides of the buyer/seller journey together, with huge benefits to both:

Better, faster decision making and shorter, faster sales cycles
Whistic badges that help buyers spot the most transparent, trustworthy software companies at a glance
Detailed security information at the push of a button, eliminating days or weeks of back-and-forth while putting security first

Ready to Hit the Gas Pedal on Trust with Whistic+G2?

The software ecosystem has never been more important to the way businesses operate and thrive. That means trust has never been more essential. Companies that win in this environment are those that lead with transparency, are proactive about security, and support their claims with documentation and real-world endorsements from their customers.

Whistic+G2 makes it possible to accomplish all these goals in a single place, where every year 80 million potential buyers evaluate software solutions. Get started immediately through your G2 profile, or reach out to our consultation team today to claim your free Whistic Profile.