For many companies, third party service providers can be the weak link in the data security chain. Hackers are using outsourcer's vendors to get to confidential customer and employee data. Nobody doubts the good intention of organizations when it comes to safeguarding sensitive information. But disseminated through a veritable ecosystem of third and fourth parties, data gets a lot harder to protect.  
 

Managing risk in an outsourced economy takes special expertise. Risk professionals have to know and implement the necessary strategies, processes, and practices when evaluating and managing vendor risk and oversee the security of sensitive data after a vendor has access to it. The Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP) designation developed by the Shared Assessments Program is a recently released certification program that validates proficiencies in assessment, management, and remediation of third party risk issues. With this designation, risk professionals can help their organizations better manage vendor risk and reduce the likelihood of costly breaches, and receive professional credibility, recognition, and marketability. 

Individuals who pass the CTPRP examination and successfully comply with the requirements to earn and maintain the certification have a thorough working knowledge of third party risk management concepts and principles. 
 

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