§ Compare · Vendor Risk & Attack Surface

Supplier Shield vs UpGuard

UpGuard is genuinely good at what it does: monitoring vendors' external attack surface, detecting breaches, and providing continuous security ratings. The gap is that a security score is not the same as a TPRM program. Regulators ask for documented due diligence, evidence, and remediation records; not a dashboard.

CATEGORYVendor Risk & Attack Surface·UpGuardExcellent at outside-in security monitoring and breach detection
QUICK VERDICTFOR EUROPEAN TPRM
UpGuard

UpGuard is a valuable tool for security and IT teams who want continuous outside-in monitoring of their vendor portfolio's attack surface. Used alongside a TPRM platform, it adds a real-time cyber intelligence layer that questionnaires alone cannot provide.

Supplier Shield

When you need a regulatory-grade TPRM program, you get Acuna GRC: Supplier Shield for TPRM, plus data protection, compliance frameworks, and internal audit; purpose-built for DORA and NIS2, with structured evidence and remediation built in. Many mature programs use both tools together; UpGuard for external cyber signals, Acuna GRC for the full program.

UpGuard approach
  • Primary value is outside-in security ratings; does not replace structured questionnaire-based due diligence
  • No pre-mapped regulatory control frameworks (DORA, NIS2, GDPR); security posture and regulatory compliance are different things
  • No structured remediation workflow; finding a vulnerability and having a documented plan to fix it are separate activities
  • Cannot capture operational, concentration, financial, or data-privacy risks; only external cyber signals
  • Audit evidence typically cannot be produced in a format regulators or ISO auditors accept
  • VendorRisk module questionnaires exist but are less structured than a dedicated TPRM workflow
Supplier Shield approach
  • Full TPRM lifecycle: initial due diligence, structured assessments, evidence storage, remediation, and continuous monitoring
  • DORA, NIS2, GDPR, nDSG controls pre-mapped; risk covers cyber, operational, financial, legal, and data-privacy dimensions
  • Structured remediation workflow: assign findings to owners, set deadlines, track progress, document closure
  • Audit-ready evidence packages: every assessment, decision, and action logged with timestamps and linked to the regulatory control it satisfies
  • OSINT enrichment combined with questionnaire cycles for a complete, defensible vendor risk picture
  • Acuna modular platform from CHF 5,388/year; add only the modules you need — TPRM, Compliance Frameworks, Data Privacy and more — with transparent published pricing
§ Beyond TPRM · Acuna GRC

When you choose Supplier Shield, you get the whole GRC platform.

Supplier Shield is the TPRM module inside Acuna GRC; the AI-native GRC platform built by the same Swiss team, on the same infrastructure. You are not buying a point tool; you are getting an operating system for your entire compliance program.

Explore Acuna GRC
TPRM
Supplier Shield

Third-party risk, vendor inventory, assessments, OSINT monitoring, and audit-ready evidence.

PRIVACY
Data Privacy Management

GDPR, nDSG, RoPA, DPIAs, and breach response workflows; all in one place.

COMPLIANCE
Frameworks and Compliance

ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA, SOC 2, FINMA, and 50+ frameworks with multi-control mapping.

AUDIT
Internal Audit

Audit universe, planning, fieldwork, findings, and follow-up; no separate tool needed.

ERMSOON
Enterprise Risk Management

Top-down risk register, KRIs, and board-grade reporting across your organisation.

BCMSOON
Business Continuity

BIA, recovery plans, crisis-management runbooks, and exercises; integrated into your risk picture.

🇨🇭
Swiss hosting
Infomaniak; data in Switzerland and EU
Aiko AI assistant
Ask anything; order anything; from your real GRC data
50+ frameworks
ISO 27001, DORA, NIS2, SOC 2, FINMA, and more
Unlimited users
No per-seat games; flat pricing that scales with your program, not headcount
No per-seat pricing
CHF 5,388/year for the full platform; no surprise invoices
§ Feature breakdown

Side-by-side comparison.

Risk Coverage
Outside-in security / attack surface rating
SS
Via OSINT enrichment
UpGuard
Yes
Structured questionnaire due diligence
SS
Yes
UpGuard
Basic module available
Operational and concentration risk
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Data-privacy / contractual risk
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Financial health signals
SS
Enterprise tier
UpGuard
No
Compliance
DORA Article 28 controls
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
NIS2 supply chain requirements
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
GDPR Article 28 / DPA management
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Audit-ready structured evidence
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Workflow
Remediation tracking with owners and deadlines
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Vendor onboarding and offboarding workflow
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Board and executive TPRM reporting
SS
Yes
UpGuard
Security-focused dashboards only
Delivery
European data residency
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Managed TPRM services
SS
Yes
UpGuard
No
Pricing
Typical price range
SS
CHF 5,388/year entry; Acuna modular (add-ons available)
UpGuard
~€5,000–€25,000+ / year (VendorRisk module)
§ Why Supplier Shield

Three reasons teams choose us.

A security score is not audit evidence

When a DORA supervisor or ISO 27001 auditor asks for proof of due diligence, an UpGuard rating dashboard does not answer the question. Supplier Shield produces structured evidence; linked to the specific regulatory control, with timestamps, assessment records, and remediation documentation.

The full risk picture, not just the cyber layer

A vendor can have a perfect security rating and still expose you to concentration risk, GDPR liability, an expired DPA, or a financial distress situation. Supplier Shield captures all risk dimensions. UpGuard captures one.

Detection plus remediation

UpGuard tells you something is wrong. Supplier Shield helps you close it: assign the finding to an owner, set a deadline, track progress to closure, and document the resolution for your audit file. Both halves matter.

§ Honest verdict

Neither tool is right for every situation. Here is when each one makes sense.

When UpGuard makes sense

UpGuard is a valuable tool for security and IT teams who want continuous outside-in monitoring of their vendor portfolio's attack surface. Used alongside a TPRM platform, it adds a real-time cyber intelligence layer that questionnaires alone cannot provide.

When Acuna GRC makes sense

When you need a regulatory-grade TPRM program, you get Acuna GRC: Supplier Shield for TPRM, plus data protection, compliance frameworks, and internal audit; purpose-built for DORA and NIS2, with structured evidence and remediation built in. Many mature programs use both tools together; UpGuard for external cyber signals, Acuna GRC for the full program.

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