Every new tool adds a little risk. The aim isn't to say no, it's to say yes with the right guardrails in place. This is the checklist our own security team uses when evaluating vendors.
Identity first
Insist on SAML single sign-on and enforced two-factor authentication. SCIM provisioning means people get access on day one and lose it the moment they leave, without anyone filing a ticket.
Know where data lives
Ask where data is stored, how it's encrypted and who at the vendor can access it. If you operate in regulated markets, check whether regional data residency is available.
Keep an audit trail
You should be able to see who accessed, changed or exported what, and stream those logs into your existing monitoring. If something goes wrong, that trail is the difference between an hour of investigation and a week.
Check the paperwork
Request the SOC 2 Type II report, recent penetration test summaries and the data processing agreement. A vendor that hands these over quickly is usually one that takes security seriously.
Written by
Ravi Desai
Co-founder & CTO
Previously built real-time collaboration infrastructure for 20 million users.
