The Real ROI of TPRM: Why Fast, Evidence-Based Risk Reviews Save More Than You Think
TL;DR
The Business Case for Rethinking Third-Party Risk in 2025
- According to Ponemon Institute 47% of companies experienced a third-party data breach or cyberattack in 2024.
- IBM research shows vendor-related breaches cost 12% more and take significantly longer to contain.
- Slow or manual TPRM processes increase exposure windows and delay onboarding.
- Regulators are tightening third-party risk requirements globally – fines are growing.
- Risk leaders are shifting toward faster, evidence-based assessments that reduce breach probability and support business velocity.
Intro: Third-Party Risk Is No Longer a Compliance Checkbox
Third-party vendors are essential to how companies build, scale, and serve customers. But they’re also one of the most persistent blind spots in cybersecurity and compliance.
Recent research makes the stakes unambiguous: 47% of organizations reported a vendor-related breach in 2024 – a figure that’s tripled in just three years according to industry reports. Worse, those breaches tend to cost more and take longer to contain.
Despite this, many organizations still rely on slow, manual, or superficial assessments to evaluate third-party risk. They treat vendor due diligence as a paper chase instead of an operational safeguard.
But in 2025, that’s not just inefficient – it’s expensive.
Done well, third-party risk management (TPRM) reduces incident costs, accelerates vendor onboarding, improves compliance outcomes, and protects the company’s brand. It’s not a checkbox. It’s ROI waiting to happen.
1. Breaches via Vendors Are Rising – and They Hit Harder
The numbers are sobering:
- 47% of organizations suffered a third-party data breach in 2024
- Breaches tied to vendors cost 11.8% more on average than direct attacks
- They also take 12.8% longer to detect and remediate
With the average breach now costing $4.88 million according to IBM, that 11.8% bump adds an additional half-million dollars per incident – before accounting for reputational harm, legal fallout, or customer churn.
The source of these incidents varies: weak access controls, exposed credentials, misconfigured systems. But the pattern is clear: when TPRM fails, the damage is deep.
2. The Cost of Being Slow
Most organizations rely on processes that take weeks – or longer – to fully evaluate a new vendor. That delay isn’t just frustrating for business units – it’s dangerous.
Consider what happens while risk assessments are in progress:
- Vendors may already have access to systems or data
- Internal teams may be building on third-party tools
- Contracts might already be signed
Every day a vendor is live but unverified is a potential exposure. It creates a window where risk is invisible but very real.
Speed matters. Not because security should be rushed – but because slow risk reviews often mean no real review at all until something breaks.
3. Why Speed and Evidence-Based Reviews Matter More Than Ever
The best risk programs aren’t just faster – they’re smarter. Rather than relying solely on static documents like PDFs, self-reported questionnaires, or outdated certifications, they prioritize:
- Reviewing primary-source artifacts (e.g., SOC 2 reports, policies, architecture diagrams)
- Focusing on evidence of control effectiveness, not checkboxes
- Using technology to reduce the time from submission to decision
When teams can surface risks quickly – based on real documentation – they’re more likely to:
- Catch critical gaps early
- Prioritize high-risk vendors for deeper follow-up
- Reduce the backlog that slows down procurement and integration
Speed, in this case, isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about getting to insight faster so risk teams can act before risk becomes breach.
4. The Regulatory Math Is Unforgiving
Regulatory scrutiny around third-party relationships is increasing worldwide. From the EU’s DORA regulation to stricter guidelines from U.S. regulators like the OCC and Federal Reserve, oversight bodies are placing more pressure on companies to monitor and validate vendor controls.
Examples:
- DORA: Fines of up to €1.000.000 for individuals and companies. Critical third-party ICT service providers could be fined up to €5.000.000.
- US Financial Regulators: Enforcement actions for missing documentation, risk classification, or monitoring plans
These aren’t theoretical risks. Industries like banking, healthcare, and SaaS are under increasing pressure to demonstrate how they assess vendor controls – and how fast they can react when risk changes.
The old “send a questionnaire and hope for the best” model isn’t cutting it anymore.
5. TPRM That Moves with the Business
One of the most overlooked benefits of mature TPRM? It unblocks business growth.
In many companies, vendor onboarding stalls because of slow security reviews. This leads to:
- Project delays
- Lost revenue opportunities
- Friction between security and other departments
Modern risk teams are rethinking how to get to “yes” without sacrificing trust. That doesn’t mean skipping assessments – it means:
- Automating what’s repetitive
- Standardizing what’s reviewable
- Escalating only what truly needs deep investigation
A program that can clear low-risk vendors quickly and focus attention where it matters most drives measurable time-to-market improvements.
Conclusion: Risk Reduction, Regulatory Resilience, and Business Velocity
The ROI of a modern TPRM program is real – and provable:
- Breaches avoided: A single major incident can cost $5–10M, or even more. Avoiding even one changes the math.
- Fines minimized: Avoiding regulatory enforcement or audit failure can save millions.
- Time gained: Faster assessments = faster procurement, faster delivery, faster growth.
In short, the cost of great TPRM is often a fraction of the cost of failure. And in a business environment where speed is advantage and risk is everywhere, investing in faster, smarter third-party risk management is no longer optional.
It’s strategic. It’s defensive. And it’s high-ROI.
