PropTech Founders: Preparing for Enterprise Security Questionnaires

Understand what customers are really asking

Most questionnaires circle a small set of themes: who can access customer data, how it is protected in transit and at rest, how incidents are handled, how staff are vetted and trained, and what happens when a customer leaves. Behind the long spreadsheets are a few dozen distinct questions.

Collect the questionnaires you have received and consolidate them into one answer library. Each answer should be accurate, dated and owned by a named person.

Separate production from the office

A common early-stage habit is to run corporate email, development and production data in the same account with shared administrator credentials. Separate them. Use distinct cloud accounts or projects for production, restrict administrator access to named individuals with multi-factor authentication and log what they do.

Customer data should not live on developers' laptops. If testing needs realistic data, use anonymised copies.

Access control and offboarding

Customers and auditors both ask how access is granted and removed. A simple process of joining, role changes and leaving, with a quarterly review, is worth more than an elaborate policy no one reads. Use a central identity provider and single sign-on where possible, so that removing a person removes their access everywhere.

Contractors count. Treat them as staff for the purposes of access, and set expiry dates on their accounts.

Policies that match reality

Write short policies for acceptable use, access control, incident response, backup and recovery, vendor management and data retention. Each should describe what you actually do. A policy that promises more than the company delivers is a risk in an audit.

SOC 2 is a framework of controls assessed by an independent auditor. Many companies begin by aligning to it before engaging an auditor, which allows them to answer questionnaires honestly while building evidence over time.

Privacy, residency and contracts

Canadian customers will ask where data is stored and which laws apply. Know your answer for PIPEDA and BC PIPA, and be ready to explain your use of cloud regions and subprocessors. Maintain a list of the vendors that process customer data.

Finally, prepare for incidents. A plain incident plan, with roles, customer notification steps and a practice run, tells procurement teams that you are prepared. It also prepares you.

Common mistakes we see

The commonest mistake is to answer questionnaires optimistically. Saying that multi-factor authentication is enforced everywhere, when it is enabled for most users, creates a contractual and reputational risk. Accurate answers, with a plan for the gaps, build more trust than flawless ones that cannot be verified.

Another is leaving security until a deal is on the table, when a rush of policy-writing produces documents that do not match practice. Start small and early. Also watch your own vendors: customers will ask about subprocessors, and you should be able to name them. Finally, avoid collecting more customer data than your product needs, because data you do not hold cannot be breached.

Checklist to take to your next meeting

• Consolidated answer library for security questionnaires
• Production separated from corporate systems
• Central identity and single sign-on with MFA
• Joiner, mover and leaver process with quarterly review
• Short, accurate policies aligned to SOC 2 themes
• Subprocessor list and incident plan

Where this fits in your technology plan

Guidance works best as part of a coordinated programme rather than a one-off fix. These ITRE services address the subject directly.

• 01Secure Document & E-Signature Workflows

  This service designs the path a document takes through your office: how it is prepared, sent, signed, stored and eventually destroyed. We integrate the e-signature platforms and transaction tools you already use so that the secure route is also the easiest.

• 02FINTRAC & PIPEDA Compliance IT

  FINTRAC and PIPEDA Compliance IT turns regulatory requirements into systems: where identification records live, how long they are kept, who may open them and how a compliance officer can produce them quickly. We do not provide legal advice; we build the technical controls your compliance officer and lawyer specify.

• 03Data & Reporting Dashboards

  Data and Reporting Dashboards pull information from your CRM, accounting, property-management and transaction systems into a single model, so owners and managing brokers can see the state of the business without waiting for a month-end spreadsheet.

Further reading

• 01BCFSA Compliance Workflows: Technology for Managing Brokers

  How managing brokers can use ordinary systems to supervise, record and evidence compliance with BC real estate licensing rules.

• 02AI in the Real Estate Office: A Practical Acceptable-Use Policy

  How brokerages and property firms can use AI assistants safely for listings, correspondence and administration without exposing client data.

• 03Strata Data Governance in BC: Records, Owners and Privacy

  A practical guide for strata councils and managers on keeping records safe, accessible and handled in line with BC privacy law.

Take it to your next leadership meeting

Guidance is only useful when someone acts on it. If this article raised questions about your own office, development or portfolio, bring the checklist above to your next leadership meeting and assign an owner to each item. ITRE offers a free thirty-minute consultation to help you decide what to do first and what can wait.

Speak with an advisor

To discuss any of this in the context of your business, call (604) 632-4959 or write to info@SAZ.ca. You will speak with a senior advisor, and the guidance on this site is reviewed by Ali Sedighi, MBA. There is no obligation, no lock-in and no sales script.