Security Review
Security reviews evaluate vendor security practices, data handling, and compliance certifications — required for B2B sales to mid-market and enterprise buyers — increasingly the dominant gating step in B2B sales cycles.
Why This Matters
Security review components: SOC 2 Type II certification (most common requirement), penetration test results, data handling documentation (where data stored, encryption, access controls), incident response procedures, business continuity planning, vendor risk management documentation, and security questionnaires (SIG, CAIQ, custom). Modern B2B SaaS vendors maintain security trust pages with documentation pre-positioned for buyer review. Security review duration ranges from days (well-prepared vendors) to months (poorly-prepared vendors). Increasingly the longest stage in modern B2B sales cycles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do enterprise security reviews take?
Typical range 2-12 weeks. Well-prepared vendors with SOC 2 and trust pages: 2-4 weeks. Poorly prepared vendors completing custom questionnaires: 8-16+ weeks. Investment in security maturity dramatically reduces sales cycle impact.
What certifications matter most for B2B sales?
SOC 2 Type II is foundational (required by most mid-market and enterprise buyers). ISO 27001 valuable for international/regulated buyers. HIPAA for healthcare-adjacent. PCI for payment-related. Industry-specific certifications matter in regulated verticals.