Small Business Owners
Reduce the risk of payment redirection, vendor compromise, impersonation and communication-related fraud.
Overview
Why secure communications and vendor security matter
Business email compromise, invoice redirection, impersonation, insecure messaging, and vendor-related incidents can cause financial loss, operational disruption, and reputational damage. This toolkit helps organisations take practical steps to strengthen trusted communications, assess vendor risks, and improve security oversight.
Vendor & Supplier Risk
Your business depends on others.
Suppliers, vendors and service providers can support your business, but they can also introduce cyber risk. Their security can affect your people, your data and your reputation.
Who It's For
Designed for organisations that rely on trusted communications and vendors
Operations, Project and Business Leaders
Manage vendor relationships, communication controls, escalation paths and third-party risks.
Community Organisations
Strengthen communication practices and vendor oversight using practical, easy-to-use tools.
Preview
Example questions from the toolkit
Secure Communications Checklist
- Is MFA or phishing-resistant authentication enabled for business email accounts?
- Are unusual or high-risk requests received by email independently verified before action is taken?
- Are requests to change vendor, customer or other bank account details independently verified using trusted contact information already held by the organisation?
- Do staff know how to independently verify unusual communications that appear to come from vendors?
- Have alternative communication arrangements been tested during a realistic disruption scenario?
Vendor Security Assessment Checklist
- Does the vendor access, process, store or transmit sensitive, confidential or personal information?
- Does the vendor use MFA or other strong authentication for access to relevant systems and services?
- Are requests to change bank account or payment details independently verified using trusted contact information already held by the organisation?
- Is the vendor expected to notify your organisation of a cyber or security incident that may affect your information, systems or services?
- Has your organisation considered an alternative vendor, workaround or contingency arrangement if the vendor becomes unavailable?
These are sample questions from the toolkit. The full checklists provide a structured assessment across communication security, verification, vendor access, security controls, incident management, data protection, governance and operational resilience.
Supporting Materials
Practical guidance for communication and vendor risk
The toolkit includes practical checklists, trusted contact records, vendor assessment prompts, incident response guidance, executive summary templates, and action planning support designed to help organisations improve resilience without unnecessary complexity.
Practical Toolkit
Build trusted communications and stronger vendor security
The Secure Communications and Vendor Security Toolkit is designed for organisations that rely on email, messaging platforms, vendors and service providers, payment instructions, shared documents, and third-party systems.
It focuses on practical risks such as business email compromise, payment redirection, vendor compromise, insecure file sharing, unclear escalation contacts, poor verification practices, and weak vendor security oversight.
It is suitable for small businesses, community organisations, managers, project leaders, and teams responsible for vendor relationships, communication practices, or operational resilience.
What's included
- Secure Communications Checklist
- Vendor Security Assessment Checklist
- Communication Incident Response Card
- Secure Communications Register
- Vendor & Communication Action Plan
- Communications & Vendor Risk Summary
- Communication Security & Vendor Risk Improvement Roadmap
Includes practical prompts and planning tools to help organisations assess current practices, identify gaps, prioritise improvements, and strengthen communication and vendor security over time.
Ready to strengthen your communication and supplier security?
The Secure Communications & Vendor Security Toolkit is available as a PDF containing practical checklists, templates, registers, response guidance, and action planning support.
Secure Communications & Vendor Security Toolkit - AU$79
- ✓ Delivered electronically as a PDF within one business day of purchase
- ✓ Version 1.1 | August 2026
Secure payment powered by Stripe. Toolkit PDFs are personally reviewed and emailed within one business day.
Need help implementing the toolkit?
One-on-one consultation is available to review vendor risks,
strengthen communication practices and develop a practical improvement plan.
These templates provide general guidance and should be adapted to individual circumstances. They do not constitute legal, regulatory, financial, or other professional advice.