Security Questionnaire Template 2026: CAIQ, SIG & DDQ

Why Security Questionnaires Are the #1 Enterprise Deal Bottleneck in 2026

Enterprise procurement teams now send security questionnaires to every SaaS vendor before contract signing. According to Vanta’s State of Trust Report, 78% of companies report that security reviews caused deal delays in the past year.

For SaaS vendors with 20–300 employees, the math is brutal:

• A standard 100-question DDQ takes 4–5 hours for a first draft
• Custom enterprise questionnaires can run to 300+ questions
• Each enterprise deal cycle includes 2–3 rounds of security review
• The CTO or a senior engineer handles this — pulling them from product work

The good news: most questionnaires draw from the same 5–6 frameworks. Master those frameworks once, and you can respond to 80% of incoming questionnaires in under 2 hours.

The 5 Questionnaire Frameworks You Will Actually Encounter

Not all security questionnaires are created equal. Here is what SaaS vendors face most often in 2026, ranked by frequency.

Framework	Full Name	Questions	Who Sends It	Frequency
Custom DDQ	Due Diligence Questionnaire	50–300	Enterprise procurement/InfoSec	Very High
CAIQ v4	Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire	261 (Lite: 124)	Cloud-savvy buyers, regulated industries	High
SIG / SIG Lite	Standardized Information Gathering	800+ (Lite: ~200)	Financial services, healthcare	Medium-High
VSA	Vendor Security Alliance Questionnaire	~75	Tech companies assessing tech vendors	Medium
HECVAT	Higher Education CVSS Assessment Tool	~160	Universities and research institutions	Niche

Pro tip: If you receive a questionnaire you have never seen before, identify which framework it derives from. Over 70% of custom DDQs borrow sections directly from CAIQ or SIG.

CAIQ v4: The Cloud Security Standard

The Cloud Security Alliance’s CAIQ v4 is the most widely recognized cloud-specific assessment framework. It maps directly to the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) and covers 17 control domains.

Key Sections SaaS Vendors Must Nail

Domain	Code	What They Want to Know	Your Evidence
Application & Interface Security	AIS	Input validation, API security, OWASP compliance	Scan reports, WAF config, API security testing
Audit & Assurance	A&A	Independent testing, audit logs	Pen test reports, continuous scan results
Business Continuity	BCR	RTO/RPO, DR testing	DR plan, backup verification records
Change Control	CCC	Release management, rollback procedures	CI/CD pipeline docs, change log
Data Security	DSP	Encryption at rest and transit, key management	Encryption config, TLS certificates
Identity & Access	IAM	MFA, RBAC, privileged access management	IAM policy, access review logs
Infrastructure & Virtualization	IVS	Network segmentation, vulnerability management	Network diagrams, scan schedules

CAIQ Response Strategy

1. Start with CAIQ-Lite (124 questions) — it covers all CCM domains in condensed form
2. Pre-fill with your security posture data — automated scan results map directly to AIS, IVS, and DSP domains
3. Maintain a versioned response library — refresh quarterly with updated evidence
4. Link to live scan reports instead of static screenshots — shows continuous monitoring

SIG Lite: The Financial Services Favorite

The Shared Assessments SIG questionnaire is the heavyweight at 800+ questions. Most SaaS vendors encounter SIG Lite (~200 questions), which is the practical version used for vendors handling moderate-risk data.

Critical SIG Sections for SaaS

• Section D: Application Security — covers SDLC, code review, vulnerability scanning
• Section E: Network Security — firewall rules, intrusion detection, network monitoring
• Section H: Access Management — authentication standards, password policies, session management
• Section P: Privacy — data handling, GDPR compliance, data subject rights
• Section Z: Cloud Hosting — shared responsibility model, tenant isolation

SIG Response Tips

• Map your OWASP scan results directly to Section D questions
• Reference your continuous monitoring setup for Section E
• Link to your privacy policy and DPA for Section P
• If you host on AWS/GCP/Azure, reference their SOC 2 reports for shared infrastructure controls

VSA Questionnaire: Tech-to-Tech Assessment

The Vendor Security Alliance questionnaire is shorter (~75 questions) and designed specifically for technology companies assessing other technology vendors. It is practical, modern, and increasingly popular among SaaS buyers.

VSA Focus Areas

Area	Key Questions	What to Prepare
Data Protection	How is customer data encrypted? Where is it stored?	Encryption standards doc, data flow diagram
Access Controls	Who has access to production? How is access reviewed?	IAM policy, access review cadence
Security Policies	Do you have an InfoSec policy? When was it last updated?	Published security policy with revision date
Incident Response	What is your breach notification timeline?	IR plan, notification SLA (typically 72h for GDPR)
Vulnerability Management	How often do you scan? How fast do you remediate?	Scan schedule, mean-time-to-remediate metrics

Building Your Master Response Library

Instead of starting from scratch for each questionnaire, build a central knowledge base of vetted responses that can be adapted to any framework.

The 30 Questions That Appear in Every Questionnaire

Regardless of framework, these questions show up in nearly every vendor security assessment:

1. Do you encrypt data at rest and in transit?
2. What encryption standards do you use (AES-256, TLS 1.2+)?
3. Do you perform regular vulnerability scanning?
4. When was your last penetration test?
5. Do you have an incident response plan?
6. What is your breach notification timeline?
7. Do you require MFA for production access?
8. How do you manage privileged access?
9. Do you have SOC 2 Type II certification?
10. Where is customer data geographically stored?
11. Do you have a Business Continuity/DR plan?
12. How often do you test your DR plan?
13. Do you perform background checks on employees?
14. Do you provide security awareness training?
15. How do you handle data deletion/retention?

Action item: Write a thorough answer to each of these 30 questions once. Review and update quarterly. This single document will cover 60–70% of any incoming questionnaire.

Automating Questionnaire Responses

Manual questionnaire response is unsustainable at scale. Here is a practical automation roadmap.

Level 1: Template Library (Week 1)

• Export your best completed questionnaire as a baseline
• Organize answers by topic (not by questionnaire section)
• Tag each answer with the frameworks it applies to (CAIQ, SIG, VSA)

Level 2: Evidence Automation (Week 2–4)

• Set up continuous security scanning to auto-generate fresh evidence
• Configure scan reports to map to framework sections (OWASP → CAIQ AIS)
• Auto-generate a “security posture summary” document monthly

Level 3: Response Acceleration (Month 2+)

• Use tools that match incoming questions to your response library
• Auto-populate known answers, flag only new or ambiguous questions
• Track response metrics: time-to-complete, questions requiring new answers

Metrics to Track

Metric	Target	Why It Matters
Time to first response	< 48 hours	Shows procurement you take security seriously
Questions answered from library	> 70%	Measures library completeness
Time per questionnaire	< 2 hours	Measures operational efficiency
Deal conversion after questionnaire	> 60%	Validates response quality

Common Mistakes That Kill Enterprise Deals

Avoid these pitfalls when responding to security questionnaires:

Mistake	Impact	Fix
Saying “N/A” without explanation	Looks evasive	Explain why it does not apply and what compensating control exists
Providing stale evidence (6+ months old)	Undermines credibility	Use continuous scan reports with recent timestamps
Over-promising compliance	Legal liability if discovered	Be honest about current state and roadmap
Ignoring follow-up questions	Signals disorganization	Set SLA for follow-ups (24–48 hours)
Sending raw scanner output	Unusable for procurement teams	Format reports for non-technical readers

Your 30-Day Questionnaire Readiness Plan

Week	Action	Outcome
Week 1	Audit your last 3 completed questionnaires for common questions	Master list of recurring questions
Week 2	Write vetted answers to the 30 universal questions above	Core response document
Week 3	Set up continuous scanning and map outputs to CAIQ/SIG sections	Automated evidence pipeline
Week 4	Complete CAIQ-Lite as your baseline self-assessment	Publishable security posture document

How SaaSFort Accelerates Questionnaire Response

SaaSFort is built specifically for SaaS vendors who need to prove security to enterprise buyers:

• Continuous OWASP scanning generates fresh evidence that maps directly to CAIQ AIS and SIG Section D
• Deal Reports translate scan results into procurement-ready language — no more sending raw CVE lists
• Always-current evidence — every scan updates your security posture, so your questionnaire answers never go stale
• Under 24 hours from first scan to a shareable security report

Your next enterprise deal is worth 10–100x the cost of proper questionnaire preparation. The question is not whether to invest in security readiness — it is how fast you can get there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which security questionnaire framework should SaaS vendors prepare for first?

Start with CAIQ-Lite (124 questions). It covers all Cloud Controls Matrix domains in condensed form and maps well to other frameworks. Over 70% of custom DDQs borrow sections directly from CAIQ or SIG, so a completed CAIQ-Lite serves as a strong foundation. Once completed, expand to SIG Lite for financial services prospects and VSA for tech-to-tech assessments. For a step-by-step response strategy, see our security questionnaire guide.

How many questions overlap between CAIQ, SIG, and custom DDQs?

Approximately 80% of questions overlap across frameworks. The 30 most common questions (encryption, vulnerability scanning, incident response, access management, certifications) appear in virtually every assessment. Building a master response library for these 30 questions covers 60–70% of any incoming questionnaire, regardless of framework. See our automation guide for how to build and maintain this library.

What security evidence maps to CAIQ AIS (Application & Interface Security) questions?

CAIQ AIS questions cover input validation, API security, and OWASP compliance. Automated OWASP scan reports map directly to this section — showing vulnerability detection across all 10 OWASP categories, remediation status, and scan frequency. SaaSFort Deal Reports are specifically formatted to answer AIS questions with dated, reproducible evidence.

How do NIS2 and DORA add to standard security questionnaires?

NIS2 adds 12 supply chain security requirements (Article 21) that didn’t appear in pre-2025 questionnaires — including 24-hour incident notification, board-level accountability, and supply chain cascading assessment. DORA adds ICT third-party risk provisions specific to financial services. In 2026, expect regulated EU enterprise buyers to include dedicated NIS2/DORA sections alongside standard CAIQ or SIG content.

What is the most common mistake in questionnaire responses?

Saying “N/A” without explanation. Enterprise procurement teams interpret unexplained N/A as evasiveness. Always explain why a question doesn’t apply and describe the compensating control. The second most common mistake is providing stale evidence — scan reports older than 6 months undermine credibility. Use continuous scanning to ensure evidence is always current. For the complete vendor assessment checklist, see our 50-point guide.

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Related Reading

• How to Run a Security Self-Assessment — prepare your answers before the questionnaire arrives
• Security Posture One-Pager — create a one-page security summary to share proactively

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