Microsoft SSPA Compliance
If you supply services to Microsoft and you touch their data, their systems, or their customers' data, you're probably required to go through the Supplier Security and Privacy Assurance program — SSPA. It's Microsoft's way of pushing its own security and privacy bar down through its supply chain: you agree to the Data Protection Requirements, complete the appropriate profile in the assessment tool, and depending on what you do for Microsoft, you may need an independent assessment on top of the self-attestation.
Where this gets complicated
The hard part of SSPA usually isn't any single control — it's figuring out which Data Protection Requirements actually apply to your specific engagement, and then being able to back up your answers with real evidence instead of good intentions. The DPR covers a wide range of ground: data handling and classification, access control, incident response, subcontractor management, and privacy obligations that map closely to GDPR-style requirements. Get the scoping wrong and you either answer questions that don't apply to you, or worse, miss ones that do and get flagged.
How I approach it
I start by working out exactly what kind of data and access your contract with Microsoft actually involves, because that determines which parts of the DPR are in scope and whether you're looking at self-assessment or an independent audit. From there, I go through the requirements against what you actually do today — not what your policy document says you do — and build out the evidence trail an assessor or Microsoft's own review will want to see: access logs, subcontractor agreements, incident response records, data handling procedures.
If an independent assessment is required, I help you prepare for it the way I'd prepare for any formal audit: closing known gaps first, making sure the people who'll be interviewed know what's actually in place, and making sure your answers in the assessment tool match what an assessor will find when they look.
Who this is for
Companies with an active or prospective Microsoft supplier relationship that involves Microsoft data or systems, and procurement or security teams that have been handed an SSPA requirement with a deadline and need someone who's navigated the DPR before.
If an SSPA deadline is on your calendar, reach out and let's get ahead of it.