Vendor security questionnaires remain one of the most common tools used to assess third-party cyber risk. But interestingly, Panorays’ 2026 CISO Survey for Third-Party Cyber Risk Management Priorities found that 71% of CISOs say traditional questionnaires fall short in capturing real third-party risk.

At the same time, the survey revealed that 66% of CISOs have now adopted AI-powered alternatives to streamline assessments. Maybe this points to a broader shift driven by day-to-day operational pressure, where security teams need faster, more reliable ways to evaluate threats without getting buried in repetitive work.

Traditional Questionnaires Are No Longer Fit for Purpose

It’s not that traditional questionnaires were badly designed, they were simply built for a different era. When vendor ecosystems were smaller, threats evolved more slowly, and periodic reviews were often enough to assess risk. 

Typically, these assessments rely on hundreds of static questions, completed manually and reviewed only during onboarding, annual audits, or after a security incident. While they can help demonstrate compliance at a single point in time, they offer little visibility into emerging risks or shifting dependencies across complex, multi-tiered supply chains. A vendor that appeared compliant a year ago may introduce new risks today. Proof that static questionnaires provide no reliable way to detect or respond to those changes in real time.

The Operational Consequences of Relying on Questionnaires

When security teams rely heavily on traditional questionnaires, gaps and blind spots become inevitable. Manual workflows increase the likelihood of inconsistencies, errors, and missed information. Teams spend substantial effort collecting and reconciling data instead of analyzing and mitigating actual risks.

In other words, compliance does not equal security. Checking boxes may satisfy regulators or internal audits, but it does not prevent breaches or identify emerging threats. As supply chains become more complex and incidents increasingly stem from deeper layers of vendors and subcontractors, relying solely on questionnaires leaves organizations exposed, and gives a false sense of security.

AI-Powered Assessment Workflows Are Emerging

Organizations are increasingly turning to AI-driven assessment tools to address these shortcomings. Automated workflows reduce repetitive tasks, improve data consistency, and allow teams to focus on validation and risk remediation rather than tedious data collection.

AI can help:

  • Prioritize risks by contextualizing vendor data
  • Reduce assessment fatigue and inconsistencies
  • Enable continuous monitoring rather than periodic review
  • Free teams to focus on emerging or complex threats

By automating what was once a manual, time-consuming process, security teams can maintain a current, accurate view of third-party risk, even as supply chains grow in size and complexity.

Moving Beyond Static Assessments

Regulatory preparedness today is not only about documenting intent, but also about demonstrating control. Panorays’ survey data makes the point that traditional vendor questionnaires no longer meet the requirement of modern third-party risk management. Static, manual assessments simply cannot keep up with the pace of digital transformation.

Organizations that continue to rely solely on these manual questionnaires will remain reactive, struggling to identify risk before it manifests as an incident. Organizations that adopt dynamic, automated, AI-driven assessments gain a strategic advantage through continuous visibility, faster decision-making, and more effective risk mitigation.

Questionnaires Alone Are Not Enough

True third-party cyber risk management requires moving beyond static, periodic assessments toward continuous, automated workflows that identify real risk and support proactive mitigation. AI-driven tools allow security teams to focus on what matters: validating and addressing exposure, rather than merely documenting it.

The takeaway is that questionnaires alone may check a box, but they do not ensure security. Organizations must adopt approaches built for visibility, speed, and accuracy to keep pace with evolving risks.Interested in seeing the rest of the survey and benchmarking your security efforts against other security leaders?

Check out the full survey here.