Visualizing Supply Chain Risks with Zeami TPRM: Registration Now Open

Introduction

In the modern business landscape, threats lurking within supply chains have become a prominent risk for companies. ZeamiCyberSecurity, based in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, has addressed this pressing issue with the launch of its new service, Zeami TPRM (Third Party Risk Management), which aims to automatically visualize and assess supply chain risks. Today marks the beginning of the pre-registration phase for this beta version, which can be found here.

Background of the Business

Recent years have seen a surge in cyber incidents originating from vulnerabilities in supply chains. Often, the primary target is not the company itself but rather its suppliers or contractors, whose mishaps can have ripple effects on the original business. For example, compromised systems or authentication information from a supplier may allow unauthorized access to one's own network. Additionally, if a supplier suffers a data breach or service disruption, it could directly impact the company's operations.

Despite the critical importance of managing these risks, many Japanese companies are still reliant on outdated management practices, using checklists and Excel spreadsheets to oversee their contractors. This reactive means of managing risk lacks the necessary frameworks to continuously monitor and adapt to the evolving risks that come from interconnected businesses. As such, while companies may have defensive measures in place, they often overlook comprehensive risk management that includes their partners.

Expanding Risks and International Trends

The impact of supply chain-related cyber incidents has been increasingly recognized, with numerous studies showcasing the frequency of incidents stemming from third-party companies. Ignoring these risks can lead to service disruptions or operational halts for businesses, in turn damaging brand reputation and share value.

Globally, institutions such as the NIST in the United States emphasize the importance of supply chain risk management, while Europe is poised to enforce the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) by December 2024, underscoring a worldwide trend towards comprehensive supply chain security management.

Challenges Companies Face

While the significance of supply chain risk is acknowledged, many companies still lag in implementing effective countermeasures. Feedback from ZeamiCyberSecurity's consultations revealed various hurdles faced by businesses in managing contractor relationships.

- Many companies manage hundreds to thousands of suppliers manually, resulting in fragmented and personalized risk information that complicates oversight.
- Management efforts often rely on outdated annual evaluations and surveys that fail to reflect the current security posture, thereby lacking real insight into changing conditions.
- There is insufficient use of objective data for informed decision-making, as many lack a system for integrating external risk information such as vulnerabilities or breach histories.
- Internal communications are often siloed, causing critical security information to remain unshared between security teams and executive management, hindering effective decision-making.

These challenges highlight the need for a robust and continuous framework for assessing and managing third-party risks to bolster supply chain defenses effectively.

Overview of the Service

Zeami TPRM is a cloud-based service designed to help organizations continuously assess and manage the security risks associated with their contractors, subsidiaries, and partner companies. By analyzing each company's IT assets—such as domains, servers, mail settings, and certificates—the service provides an objective visualization of security risks, allowing organizations to quickly understand the risk levels tied to each supplier.

Zeami TPRM further enhances efficiency with features like report generation and risk notification, which streamline risk management tasks such as audits, management reporting, and contractor assessments. It moves away from traditional methods of checklist and Excel management, enabling ongoing monitoring of the entire supply chain.

The service is built on the technical foundation and data structure of ZeamiCyberSecurity’s established security intelligence platform, Zeami Intelligence, ensuring high-accuracy and efficient risk evaluation and analysis of external assets.

Value Proposition

Zeami TPRM offers an intuitive framework for continuously monitoring supplier and contractor security risks without needing extensive specialized configuration. By simply registering a company name, the risk evaluation process begins immediately, with regular updates tracking any risk changes over time.

The system provides real-time visibility of security risks across the supply chain that traditional checklists and surveys often miss. It compiles risk statuses into a straightforward overview, notifying businesses of high-risk changes or emerging threats automatically. Moreover, generated reports can readily be used for executive briefings or shared with contractors, standardizing a previously fragmented management process. This system allows not only security teams but also procurement, legal, and management departments to collaboratively engage in risk management proactively.

Future Developments

ZeamiCyberSecurity plans to continue enhancing Zeami TPRM, with the beta version currently focused on visualizing risks related to IT assets. Upcoming iterations will include improved evaluation accuracy and expanded monitoring capabilities. Additionally, future plans involve allowing organizations to tailor evaluation metrics based on their risk policies and priorities, along with introducing a management dashboard to strengthen collaboration between different departments.

With these advancements, ZeamiCyberSecurity aims to provide a comprehensive view of the supply chain, connecting unseen risks to informed managerial decisions.

Basic Information

Pre-registration for the beta version of Zeami TPRM is now open through the following link: Zeami TPRM Service Page.

Participants in the registration phase can expect communication starting in early December 2025. Companies facing challenges in visualizing and assessing security risks within their supply chain are encouraged to register now, and inquiries regarding cyber risks can also be submitted via the form.