New security capabilities for startups: Build enterprise-grade trust without compromising speed

As a startup, your early success and growth depend on earning buyer trust. But when you have limited levers to pull, like brand recognition, customer logos, and investor backing, proving trust often comes down to demonstrating a strong security posture.

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However, the bar for trust is rising—especially if you’re building with AI. Today’s discerning buyers expect more than a SOC 2 report. They want to see strong foundational security—across infrastructure, people, and third-party tools—and evidence to back it up. In other words, first-time compliance with common standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 is the new baseline—and buyers now expect to see evidence that you’re making robust security a key pillar of your business. 

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That’s why we’re announcing a set of capabilities designed to help startups establish the strong security foundations that savvy buyers expect, right-sized for today and built for scale. With capabilities that let you secure your infrastructure, safeguard your team, and confidently manage your third-party risk, Vanta helps you build enterprise-grade trust at startup speed.

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Run autonomous penetration tests in Vanta, powered by XBOW

One way to build trust with security-savvy buyers is by regularly conducting penetration tests (pen tests) as proof of your commitment to creating a strong security posture. However, standard pen tests can feel out of reach for many startups. Not only do they come with long turnaround times—think weeks to months for planning, execution, analysis, and remediation—but they often include hefty price tags, too. 

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Now, Vanta is partnering with XBOW to deliver fast and easy access to high-quality penetration testing, right in the Vanta platform. Coming soon, you’ll be able to purchase and run autonomous pen tests at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional manual tests, without sacrificing quality. 

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With Vanta and XBOW, companies can expect: 

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• High-quality results, powered by AI: XBOW’s autonomous testing discovers real vulnerabilities with detailed proof-of-concept exploits, eliminating the scanning noise that wastes your team’s time. Leverage XBOW to detect more critical vulnerabilities than humans can alone.
• Fast, affordable testing: With XBOW, you can run pen tests in hours, not weeks, and save thousands of dollars—ideal for startups that need to move fast and prove security maturity without overextending resources.
• Seamless, in-app experience: Purchase, run, and act on XBOW pen test findings directly in Vanta. No outside tools or long lead times required.

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Customers on Vanta’s Plus and Growth plans with up to 750 employees will receive one free pen test each year (coverage limits apply). Pen tests will also be available for in-app purchase for customers with up to 750 employees on the Core plan, or for those who want additional tests.

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Note: XBOW pen tests will be available in private preview at the end of August, with general availability in the coming months. If you're interested in learning more about this integration and partnership, we'd love to hear from you!

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Secure your people and accounts

Up to 95% of data breaches involve human error, according to recent studies. That means that your team, unwittingly or not, is often your company’s weakest security link. That’s why you need a scalable way to manage user access and educate your employees from day one. 

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Vanta provides both user access management and personnel security in one automated platform that connects back to your overall security and compliance program.

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Centralized and simplified user access management 

Vanta’s end-to-end user access management solution makes it easy for Vanta admins to manage who has access to what. Thanks to our 375+ integrations, we can import your third-party apps into a single list, so you can see who has which permissions for each app at a glance. Use this solution to streamline:

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• Employee access requests: Employees can request access to third-party apps right in Vanta or through Slack. Requests get automatically routed to system owners for approval and provisioning.
• Quarterly access reviews: Using our integrations ecosystem, Vanta centralizes user access data and provides in-app support to streamline user access reviews and proactively reduce scope.

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Soon, we’ll also offer additional support and automation for user access deprovisioning, so you can quickly update access if employees change or leave roles.  

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Our user access management capabilities are available for customers on the Plus plan and above, or as an add-on to the Core plan.

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Employee-first personnel security 

Vanta’s personnel security capabilities include a suite of security awareness training videos to give employees the knowledge they need to help protect your business. These videos are provided in Vanta free of charge for Vanta customers. Video topics align with the frameworks you’re pursuing, and may include subjects such as:

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• The basics of security awareness
• How to use and build AI safely and responsibly
• How to spot social engineering and phishing attempts 
• How to keep the company compliant with industry standards and regulations

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Our automated employee onboarding sets your employees up to practice good security hygiene from the start. Pre-built onboarding checklists and notifications get employees set up quickly, and can include things like:

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• Required security training videos
• Policies that employees need to accept
• Employee background checks, powered by an in-app integration with Certn

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These personnel security capabilities are available to all customers.

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Confidently manage your third-party risk

Nearly half (48%) of surveyed organizations say one of their vendors experienced a data breach since they started working with them. As your vendor footprint grows, so does your need to manage third-party risk.

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We provide automated and AI-powered vendor risk management capabilities so you can confidently manage your third-party risk and minimize the severity of an attack if a vendor in your network is compromised. Here’s how: 

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• Automated vendor discovery: Vanta automatically detects the third-party apps employees use and creates a list, so you can uncover redundant tools and cut costs.
• Inherent risk scores: We show you the inherent risk your business assumes by working with a vendor based on key factors, like the kind of data they process and the level of access they require, so you can build a security foundation that comes with fewer surprises.
• AI-powered security reviews: Our security reviews leverage AI to assess a vendor’s documentation and flag findings that may warrant further investigation. As a result, you can complete security reviews 50% faster than with manual methods.

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Automated vendor discovery and inherent risk scores are available on any Vanta plan. AI-powered security reviews are available with Vanta’s VRM advanced add-on.

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Demonstrate trust proactively and transparently

The bar for trust is rising, with 65% of organizations reporting that customers, investors, and suppliers have increased their demands for proof of compliance. With our public Trust Centers and AI-powered Questionnaire Automation, you can get ahead of buyer questions, prove your security posture, and respond to buyer requests faster—opening the door for bigger and better deals.

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• Build credibility instantly with a public Trust Center. Vanta’s Trust Center is fast to set up and easy to manage. With a Trust Center, you can:
  
  • Display your passing controls to show security progress
  • Link to important resources and documents that buyers can access at any time
  • Power up Vanta's AI chatbot so buyers can ask questions in your Trust Center in real time
  • Showcase your commitment to continuous security and compliance through your professional Vanta engagement letter

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• Complete security reviews up to 81% faster with AI-powered Questionnaire Automation. Vanta automates questionnaires from start to finish, so all you have to do is review, approve, and submit. Questionnaire Automation lets you: 
  
  • Build a knowledge base of commonly requested resources and previously approved answers.
  • Automate responses to any type of questionnaire, from spreadsheets and documents to website portals.
  • Generate responses for questionnaires using AI. Vanta will either pull through an exact match from previous questionnaires and your knowledge base, or generate instant, accurate, and well-cited responses for you to review and approve.

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Vanta customers on any plan can leverage a Trust Center. Questionnaire Automation is available for all Vanta customers on the Plus plan and up, or as an add-on to the Core plan. 

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Ready to build trust with buyers and unlock the next level of growth for your company? Book a demo today.