AI Automation guide
AI Vendor Security Questions Before You Buy
AI tools can become deeply connected to documents, conversations, customers, and decisions. Before buying, small teams should ask security questions that match the real data and permissions the tool will need.
A plain-English security questionnaire for small teams evaluating AI tools that may touch customer data, internal documents, or business workflows.
Start with data exposure
Ask what data the tool can access, how long data is retained, whether customer inputs are used for model training, and how deletion works. The answers should be clear enough for a non-specialist owner to understand.
If the vendor gives only vague marketing language, slow down. A useful AI vendor should be able to explain data handling, retention, subprocessors, and admin controls.
Check permission boundaries
AI search and agent tools can accidentally expose information if permissions are not respected. Ask whether the system mirrors your existing permissions and whether admins can test what different roles can see.
For agentic tools, ask which actions the tool can perform. Read access is very different from the ability to send messages, edit records, delete files, or trigger workflows.
Ask about logs and review
The team should be able to inspect important AI actions. Ask whether prompts, outputs, source references, approvals, and automated actions are logged in a way admins can review.
Logging matters when something goes wrong. Without it, a team may not know what the tool saw, what it changed, or why a customer received a specific response.
Match controls to the workflow
Not every AI tool needs enterprise-grade controls, but every tool needs controls appropriate to its use. A brainstorming assistant has different requirements than a customer support agent connected to ticket history.
Write a short approval note before buying: data accessed, permissions granted, owner, review cycle, and reason the tool is worth the risk.
Action checklist
- Ask whether inputs are used for training.
- Confirm retention and deletion rules.
- Check role-based permissions.
- Review logs and admin controls.
- Document the approved use case.
Frequently asked questions
Do small teams need an AI security checklist?
Yes. The checklist can be short, but it should exist before AI tools touch customer data, internal documents, code, or financial information.
What is the biggest AI vendor risk?
The biggest practical risk is giving a tool more access than the workflow requires, then forgetting to review that access as usage expands.