Enterprise security reviews follow surprisingly predictable patterns once you've been through a few dozen of them. Knowing what's coming lets you prepare evidence in advance instead of scrambling when a 40-page questionnaire lands in your inbox with a one-week deadline.
The standard review formats
- SIG (Standardized Information Gathering) questionnaire — the most common format, hundreds of yes/no and detail questions across every security domain
- CAIQ (Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire) — cloud-specific, maps to the Cloud Security Alliance framework
- Custom questionnaires — many enterprises, especially in finance and healthcare, use their own internal format
- Direct requests for SOC 2 report, penetration test results, and policy documents — increasingly common as a faster substitute for a full questionnaire
What actually gets asked
| Category | Typical questions |
|---|---|
| Access control | MFA enforcement, access review cadence, offboarding process |
| Data protection | Encryption at rest/in transit, data classification, retention policy |
| Incident response | Documented IR plan, breach notification timeline, past incidents |
| Vendor management | Your own subprocessor list, their security posture, contract terms |
| Business continuity | Backup frequency, disaster recovery testing, uptime commitments |
Build a response library, don't start from scratch each time
The single highest-leverage move: maintain a living document with answers to the 50-100 questions that show up in nearly every review, along with links to your supporting evidence. Turn a 2-week scramble into a 2-hour customization exercise.
Evidence you should have ready at all times
- Current SOC 2 report (or bridge letter if between audit periods)
- Most recent penetration test summary
- Information security policy document
- Incident response plan
- Subprocessor/vendor list
- Data flow diagram showing where customer data is stored and processed
Bottom line
Enterprise reviews aren't a pass/fail test of whether you're secure — they're a test of whether you can demonstrate it clearly and quickly. Companies with a SOC 2 report and a prepared response library clear reviews in days; companies without either can lose weeks and sometimes the deal.