Tracking Vendor Certifications: ISO, SOC, NEN, and Why It Matters
Stay ahead of risks and strengthen your compliance posture
When companies choose vendors, certifications like ISO27001, SOC 1, SOC 2, or NEN7510 play a big role. They give you confidence that your partners take security, privacy, and risk management seriously.
But certifications are not permanent. They expire. And if you are not paying attention, that can leave your business exposed.
ToolHive helps you stay on top of vendor certifications, so you can reduce risk without chasing spreadsheets or forgotten emails.
📜 Why vendor certifications matter
Vendor certifications are not just badges. They are proof that a vendor meets international standards for:
- Information security
- Data privacy
- Financial reporting controls
- Healthcare security (for NEN7510)
For regulations like GDPR, NIS2, and ISO27001 compliance, you are responsible for managing vendor risks. That includes ensuring that critical suppliers maintain appropriate certifications.
If a certification lapses without your knowledge, you could be at risk for:
- Non-compliance fines
- Security breaches
- Damage to your company’s reputation
🛎️ The real challenge: keeping track
Most certifications are valid for one, two, or three years.
That sounds manageable, until you realize:
- Different vendors have different timelines
- Vendors rarely remind you proactively
- Expired certificates can go unnoticed in email chains or old contracts
Manually tracking expiration dates is a recipe for mistakes. Especially as your vendor list grows.
📂 Certifying Vendors vs Tools
In ToolHive, you can add certifications to both Vendors and Tools.
- Some certifications apply to the company behind the tool (like ISO27001 for the vendor as a whole).
- Other certifications apply to a specific tool (for example, if only one product in their portfolio is SOC 2 certified).
This gives you flexibility to track certifications exactly where they belong, no confusion, no messy workarounds.
🔗 Smart inheritance: no more duplicate work
When you add a certification to a Vendor, it also shows up automatically on all linked Tools. This way, you can easily see:
- Which tools are backed by certified vendors
- Where certifications are missing
- When expirations are coming up
ToolHive keeps your certifications organized without needing double data entry.
Simple, clear, and always up to date.
🚀 How ToolHive makes it simple
With ToolHive, you can:
- Add certifications to each Vendor or Tool
- Record key details like certification type, issue date, and expiration date
- Automatically receive reminders before certifications expire
- See an overview of all certifications at risk of expiring soon
No more sticky notes. No more missed renewals. No more compliance surprises.
You have a clear, organized view of certification health across your vendors and tools.
🧩 Stronger vendor management strengthens your company
Tracking certifications is not just paperwork. It is a critical part of:
- Meeting GDPR vendor risk requirements
- Complying with NIS2 expectations for supply chain security
- Protecting your customers and your reputation
Small steps like this add up to a much stronger security and compliance posture over time.
And with ToolHive, it happens without adding extra work to your day.
Ready to simplify your vendor risk management? Start your free trial of ToolHive today and stay ahead of expiring certifications with ease.