Overview
The Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ) Lite v4.1.0 is a cloud security assessment framework published by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) to provide a simplified and standardized method for evaluating cloud service providers. Derived from the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) v4.1, it enables organizations to assess a vendor’s implementation of critical security, privacy, and compliance controls using a focused set of industry-aligned questions.
CAIQ Lite v4.1.0 includes 138 assessment questions covering 17 cloud security domains, such as governance, risk management, identity and access management, data security, application security, infrastructure protection, incident response, and regulatory compliance. The questionnaire is intentionally condensed from the full CAIQ to reduce the time and effort required for vendor assessments while maintaining coverage of the most essential cloud security controls.
Organizations use CAIQ Lite v4.1.0 to streamline third-party risk assessments, support vendor due diligence processes, and improve visibility into a provider’s security posture. By leveraging a common industry framework, security and compliance teams can perform consistent evaluations, identify control gaps, and make more informed decisions regarding cloud service adoption and risk management.