In today's interconnected digital environment, understanding third-party vendors' quality control and release processes is crucial for maintaining business resilience, as highlighted by the issues caused by a faulty CrowdStrike update. This blog outlines key considerations for assessing vendors, covering aspects such as development and QA processes, security practices, customer support, application monitoring, and system resiliency. It emphasizes the importance of verifying that vendors not only provide advanced technology but also demonstrate reliability, security, and effective customer support strategies. Organizations are urged to engage in proactive risk management by asking pertinent questions about vendors' testing processes, security risk management, support availability, monitoring strategies, and incident management plans. By thoroughly evaluating these areas, businesses can better prepare for potential outages and enhance their resilience against disruptions in their software supply chain.