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The Whistic Vendor Security Network

The Whistic Vendor Security Network

Whistic is transforming the way vendor security information is assessed, published, and shared. Together with our customers we are creating a future in which we don’t have to request or respond to questionnaires in order to complete a vendor assessment. Fundamental to this transformation is a connection and exchange of information between two parties. In order for this connection and exchange of information to be frictionless, we need a two-sided network, The Whistic Vendor Security Network, with active users on both sides.

A Community-Based Approach to Solving the Industry Challenge

The true power behind the Whistic Vendor Security Network is our ability to help each other solve an industry problem by inviting our vendors and customers to participate in the Network with us. The more companies that participate in the Network, the easier it is for all of us to streamline vendor assessments and eliminate the need to request or respond to questionnaires. In order to facilitate streamlined vendor assessments, Whistic provides free access to the companies invited to complete an assessment by a paid Whistic user. When companies understand and participate in the Network, it simplifies the vendor assessment process by making Zero-Touch Assessments a reality.

Responsibilities

The responsibility of each user involved in the Whistic Network is outlined below:

  • Whistic enables streamlined vendor assessments in the Network and helps each user benefit from the activity of others by educating users and by growing the Network
  • Paid users invite their vendors and customers into Whistic to complete a vendor assessment, and this helps grow the Network by introducing new companies to the Network
  • Free users participate in the Network to facilitate a vendor assessment involving their customer or vendor

Benefits

The benefit each user receives from the Whistic Network is outlined below:

  • Whistic benefits when new paying customers and free users find value in the Network as that Network activity and growth increases the value of Whistic
  • Paying customers benefit as they are able to streamline vendor assessments and eliminate questionnaires through the use of data shared by users in the Network
  • Free users benefit as they are able to streamline vendor assessments and eliminate questionnaires through the use of data shared by users in the Network

Illustration of Benefits

Your participation in the Network benefits your organization, your customers, and your vendors just as other Whistic users' participation benefits your organization, as further outlined below:

Whistic Assess Customers

  • If you assess a vendor that wasn’t previously part of the Network, you helped make the process even easier for the next Whistic customer as they assess the same vendor. This benefits the vendor and other buyers like you in the Network.
  • Conversely, if you need to assess a vendor that already published a Whistic Profile to Trust Catalog, you benefit from the ability to perform a proactive, Zero-Touch Assessment of that vendor using their existing Whistic Profile.

Whistic Profile Customers

  • If you share your Whistic Profile with a company that wasn’t previously part of the Network, you helped make the process even easier for the next Whistic customer who will be sharing a Profile with that same company.
  • Conversely, if you are selling to a customer that is already an active user in the Whistic Network, you will both save time and accelerate trust as they will be able to perform a Zero-Touch Assessment based on your Whistic Profile.

Our Approach to Growing the Network and Adding Value to Free Users

As illustrated above, all users can interact with and utilize the Whistic Network to assess, publish and share vendor security information. When a company that is not currently a part of the Whistic Network is invited by a Whistic customer to view a Whistic Profile or complete a questionnaire in Whistic, in most cases the recipient of that invitation will create a free Whistic account. They will use this free account each time they are asked to perform an assessment using a Whistic Profile or respond to a request to be assessed by a customer in Whistic. As a part of that free account, they get access to additional functionality aimed at streamlining vendor assessments for all network users.

As stated in our Trust Principles, “We hold ourselves responsible to act as an extension of your brand as you invite your customers or vendors into the Whistic Network.” How we approach that responsibility is outlined in the following principles:

  1. We ensure that free users have an exceptional "Welcome to Whistic" experience.
  2. Our primary commitment to new free users is to support them in completing the action requested by one of our paying customers. We educate new users on how to complete the product action that brought them into the Network as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
    1. Our technical support team delivers help center content, live chat, email and phone support to facilitate this.
    2. We also have a network onboarding team dedicated to supporting and educating free users. This team is separate from our sales organization, as we do not engage with free users in sales communications unless they have expressed their interest and opted-in.
  3. In addition, we ensure that free users are educated regarding:
    1. What the Whistic Network is and how assessments work in the Network.
    2. What benefits they get as a part of their free Whistic account and as a new user in the Network, including the Network activity related to their account.
    3. How they can use their free Whistic account to prepare for their next assessment.

How we approach our communication and engagement with free users in the Whistic Network is critically important to the health and well-being of the Whistic Network. Our approach is outlined in the following principles:

  1. We primarily use a combination of emails and in-product actions to welcome free users, to educate them, ask for product feedback and support them. We also may use video or phone calls to educate, assist and support free users with their Whistic account.
    1. This type of product-related communication and content is classified as “educational” because the primary purpose is to educate and support the free user regarding their Whistic account. Any communication or content that is not classified as educational is classified as “marketing”.
  2. We give free users the ability to easily opt-out of future communication at the bottom of every email.
Vendor Assessments