Complete your security questionnaires quickly and efficiently in UpGuard.
Written by Jess Hooper
Security questionnaires may feel like a long and complicated task, but UpGuard makes the questionnaire process quick and efficient. You can use UpGuard's AI Autofill and AI Enhance to improve your answering process with AI-driven suggestions. If needed, you can also export the questionnaire to complete it offline.
This article guides you through answering a security questionnaire in UpGuard.
You'll receive an email with the subject line "Request from company_name to complete a security questionnaire," inviting you to access UpGuard. This email will have a link to the questionnaire you have been asked to complete. The email includes the requested deadline for completion and a link to the questionnaire.
If you have not yet used UpGuard, you will be prompted to create an account. You can answer questionnaires securely and invite collaborators to answer the questionnaire.
Note: If you can't find the invitation in your email or you're not sure if you have an account, you can always visit https://cyber-risk.upguard.com/ in your browser. You'll be able to create an account, access a previously registered account, and access any questionnaire that you have been invited to answer from this URL.
If you are already have an account with UpGuard, log in and navigate to the Answer Questionnaires page, which will list any questionnaires that you have received.
Answering the questionnaire
After logging in, select the questionnaire you need to answer. If this is your first time using UpGuard, it will most likely be the only questionnaire available. You can save time by using AI Autofill to populate responses from your existing documentation – like a SOC 2 report, information security policy, or past questionnaire response set. You can also use AI Enhance to turn your drafted answers into polished responses.
The questionnaire details page will load with the overview tab. There are two sections on this page: Details and Progress.
The details section provides information about the questionnaire, which you can use to confirm this is the same questionnaire you received via email. You can also invite additional parties to answer the questionnaire with the Invite collaborator option in the Details box.
When you're ready to answer the questionnaire, select the Start questionnaire option in the Progress box. The questionnaire will load in a new tab. UpGuard includes an automatic save feature, so you can answer the questions directly in this tab.
The Tools and Tips buttons in the footer navigation give you access to features that make it easier to complete questionnaires quickly and accurately, along with helpful hints on how to make the most of UpGuard.
You can navigate between sections of the questionnaire using the sidebar navigation menu. Questionnaires may include individual selection options, multiple choice selection options, and fillable text box options for freeform writing.
UpGuard's questionnaires are responsive, which means that some risk-based questions will be exempted through time-saving conditional logic depending on the answers you provide. Follow-up questions will load automatically with conditional logic.
You can save the draft at any time with the Save and close option, which will save your work without submitting the final questionnaire. The automated save feature will save your work even if you forget to press the Save and close option.
Communicating within the questionnaire
In addition to answering the questions provided, you can also send and receive messages within the questionnaire itself. The messaging feature enables you to communicate by asking questions and leaving comments that are visible to the person who sent the questionnaire.
You can compose a message with the message callout icon next to the relevant question or section. Pressing the icon will open a Messages panel where you can add messages. Use the Send button or press enter to share the message. The individual who sent the questionnaire will be notified via email.
When someone responds to your message within the questionnaire or adds another message, you will receive an email notification. To access these messages within the UpGuard platform, use the Messages button on the Questionnaire overview page.
Press the Messages button in the lower progress bar to access the messages panel within the questionnaire.
Submitting the questionnaire
When you have finished answering the questionnaire, use the Submit button. A confirmation modal will load with some reminders about your progress, such as any unanswered questions.
Press Submit questionnaire to confirm submission. Your progress status on the overview screen will be updated to Submitted with the date and the completion percentage.
Editing your answers to the questionnaire
You can continue to update your questionnaire even after you submit it with the Continue answering button in the progress section.
When you submit your answers, the Start questionnaire button on the overview screen will change to Continue answering. To update your answers, press that button to continue answering the questionnaire.
If you have unanswered questions, those questions will load in a panel titled Unanswered questions. You can also select one of the unanswered questions to update that question directly.
To communicate directly, you can message the questionnaire sender from the Messages button. They will receive an email notification.