CAIQ vs SIG vs SIG Lite: Which Security Questionnaire Format Does Your Buyer Use?

You just landed a promising enterprise deal. The procurement team sends over a spreadsheet with hundreds of questions about your security posture, data handling, and business continuity practices. The filename says "SIG" or "CAIQ" and you have no idea what either acronym means, let alone how to fill it out.

You are not alone. For small and mid-sized SaaS companies selling into enterprise accounts, security questionnaires are one of the most time-consuming parts of the sales process. And the confusion starts with the format itself. The three most common standardized questionnaires you will encounter are the CAIQ, the SIG, and the SIG Lite. Each one comes from a different organization, covers different ground, and signals something specific about your buyer's priorities.

This guide breaks down what each format is, who sends it, and how to handle all three without rebuilding your answers from scratch every time.

What Is the CAIQ?

The Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ) is published by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). It is tightly focused on cloud computing security and is designed to help cloud service providers document the security controls they have in place.

Key facts about the CAIQ:

• Approximately 300 questions organized across 17 control domains
• Domains cover areas like application and interface security, audit assurance, data security and lifecycle management, encryption and key management, identity and access management, and supply chain management
• Questions are structured as yes/no with space for explanatory notes
• Directly maps to the CSA Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), which itself aligns with standards like ISO 27001, NIST SP 800-53, and AICPA Trust Services Criteria (the basis of SOC 2)
• Completing a CAIQ can earn a listing on the CSA STAR Registry, a public directory of cloud provider security postures

Who sends it: Buyers evaluating cloud and SaaS vendors specifically. You will see the CAIQ most often from technology companies, cloud-native organizations, and companies whose security teams follow CSA guidance. If your product is a SaaS application that processes or stores customer data in the cloud, the CAIQ is a common ask.

What it signals: The buyer cares specifically about cloud security controls. They want to understand how you handle multi-tenancy, data isolation, encryption, and incident response within a cloud-hosted environment.

What Is the SIG?

The Standardized Information Gathering (SIG) questionnaire is published by Shared Assessments, a member-driven organization focused on third-party risk management. The SIG is one of the most comprehensive standardized security questionnaires in use today.

Key facts about the SIG:

• Over 800 questions (the full SIG Core can exceed 850 depending on the version) organized across 18 risk domains
• Covers a much broader scope than the CAIQ: IT security, data privacy, physical security, business continuity and disaster recovery, human resources security, regulatory compliance, supply chain risk, and more
• Questions are detailed and often require narrative responses, not just yes/no
• Updated annually by Shared Assessments to reflect evolving threats and regulatory requirements
• Widely adopted in financial services, healthcare, insurance, and other heavily regulated industries

Who sends it: Large enterprises with mature third-party risk management programs, especially in financial services and healthcare. If your buyer is a bank, insurance company, payment processor, or hospital system, expect the SIG.

What it signals: The buyer has a formal vendor risk management program and takes a holistic view of third-party risk. They are not just worried about technical security controls; they want to understand your business continuity plans, your employee screening practices, your physical office security, and your regulatory compliance posture. The SIG is thorough, and completing it is a significant time investment.

What Is the SIG Lite?

The SIG Lite is an abbreviated version of the full SIG questionnaire, also published by Shared Assessments.

Key facts about the SIG Lite:

• Approximately 180 questions covering the same 18 risk domains as the full SIG, but at a higher level
• Designed for lower-risk vendor assessments or as an initial screening tool before the buyer decides whether a full SIG is warranted
• Uses a similar structure and taxonomy to the full SIG, making it easier to "upgrade" to the full SIG later if needed
• Still covers a broader range of topics than the CAIQ, including non-technical domains like business continuity and HR security

Who sends it: The same types of organizations that use the full SIG, but for vendors they consider lower risk. You might receive a SIG Lite if you are a small SaaS vendor that touches a limited amount of sensitive data, or if you are in the early stages of a vendor evaluation where the buyer wants a quick assessment before committing to a full SIG review.

What it signals: The buyer uses the Shared Assessments framework but has determined (at least initially) that you fall into a lower risk tier. This is good news: fewer questions, faster turnaround. But do not treat it casually. A poor SIG Lite response can trigger a full SIG follow-up or disqualify you from the deal entirely.

CAIQ vs SIG vs SIG Lite: Comparison Table

| | CAIQ | SIG (Full) | SIG Lite | |---|---|---|---| | Creator | Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) | Shared Assessments | Shared Assessments | | Question Count | ~300 | ~800+ | ~180 | | Primary Focus | Cloud security controls | Comprehensive third-party risk | Third-party risk (high-level) | | Scope | Cloud and SaaS-specific | IT, privacy, physical, BCP, HR, regulatory, supply chain | Same domains as SIG, condensed | | Common Requesters | Tech companies, cloud-native buyers | Financial services, healthcare, insurance, large enterprises | Same as SIG, for lower-risk vendors | | Response Format | Yes/no with notes | Detailed narrative | Detailed narrative (shorter) | | Completion Difficulty | Moderate | High | Moderate | | Typical Turnaround | 1-2 weeks | 2-4 weeks | 1-2 weeks | | Maps To | CSA CCM, ISO 27001, SOC 2 | NIST, ISO, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR | Same as SIG |

How to Handle All Three Efficiently

If you are a growing SaaS company, you will not get to choose which questionnaire format your buyers use. You will encounter all three, often within the same quarter. The naive approach is to treat each one as a standalone project, but that quickly becomes unsustainable when you are a small team trying to close deals while keeping the product moving.

Here is a more practical approach.

1. Build a Central Knowledge Base First

Before you fill out a single questionnaire, document your security posture in one place. Cover the major topics that appear across all three formats: access control, encryption, incident response, data handling, business continuity, HR security, and compliance certifications.

This knowledge base becomes your single source of truth. When a new questionnaire arrives, you are mapping from your existing documentation rather than starting from a blank spreadsheet.

2. Map Your Answers Across Frameworks

The CAIQ, SIG, and SIG Lite overlap significantly. An answer about your encryption practices for the CAIQ will be relevant (with minor adjustments) to the SIG's data security domain. Building a single knowledge base that maps to multiple frameworks saves you from starting over each time.

AI-powered tools like ComplyAlways can map your existing answers across frameworks, so a SOC 2 answer can auto-populate the equivalent CAIQ question. This cross-mapping is where the real time savings come from, especially when you are handling multiple questionnaires in parallel.

3. Prioritize Accuracy Over Speed

It is tempting to rush through questionnaire responses to unblock a deal. Resist that impulse. Buyers compare your answers against your public documentation, your SOC 2 report, and sometimes against answers you gave to other questionnaires. Inconsistencies raise red flags and slow down the process far more than a thoughtful initial response would.

If you do not have a control in place, say so honestly. Many buyers would rather see "Not currently implemented; planned for Q3" than a vague affirmative that falls apart during a follow-up call.

4. Maintain Your SOC 2 and ISO 27001 Alignment

Both the CAIQ and the SIG map to established standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. If you have a SOC 2 Type II report, you already have documented evidence for a significant percentage of the questions in all three formats. Keep your SOC 2 report current and use it as a reference document alongside your questionnaire responses.

5. Track What Your Buyers Actually Request

Over time, you will notice patterns. Some industries consistently send the SIG. Some buyer segments prefer the CAIQ. Knowing these patterns lets you pre-populate responses before the questionnaire arrives, dramatically reducing turnaround time and impressing procurement teams who are used to waiting weeks.

Key Takeaways

• CAIQ is cloud-focused, ~300 questions, from the Cloud Security Alliance. Expect it from tech-forward buyers evaluating your cloud security specifically.
• SIG is comprehensive, 800+ questions, from Shared Assessments. Expect it from financial services, healthcare, and enterprises with formal vendor risk programs.
• SIG Lite is a condensed SIG at ~180 questions, used for lower-risk vendors or initial screening. Treat it seriously despite its shorter length.
• All three overlap significantly. A well-maintained knowledge base of your security controls can feed answers to any of them without starting from scratch.
• Accuracy matters more than speed. Inconsistent or exaggerated answers will cost you more time (and deals) than honest, well-documented responses.
• Your SOC 2 report is your best friend. It maps to major domains across all three formats and provides audited evidence that buyers trust.

The security questionnaire process does not have to be a bottleneck. The companies that handle it well are not necessarily the ones with the biggest security teams. They are the ones that invest in a solid knowledge base once and reuse it across every format their buyers throw at them.