What is a HECVAT?

The Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Tool, or HECVAT, is a questionnaire tool intended to help higher education institutions assess their vendor risk. The HECVAT was created by EDUCAUSE’s Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC) in collaboration with Internet2 and the REN-ISAC.

• For Colleges and Universities—The HECVAT is a questionnaire framework specifically designed for higher education to measure vendor risk. Before you purchase a third-party solution, ask the solution provider to complete a HECVAT tool to confirm that information, data, and cybersecurity policies are in place to protect your sensitive institutional information and constituents’ PII.
• For Solution Providers—Complete the assessment tool and share it in the Cloud Broker Index. Once completed, your assessment can be used by multiple institutions to streamline procurement processes with your higher ed clients.