Vendors Inventory and Attributes - Classification attributes for the Vendors Inventory

Vendors Inventory and Attributes

Classification attributes for the Vendors Inventory

Classification attributes position each Vendor within the enterprise vendor taxonomy — the type of services they provide, their strategic tier, and the industry they operate in.

Attribute Name	Maturity	Description and Notes
Vendor Type	Crawl	Description — The primary category of what this vendor provides to the enterprise. Benefit(s) — Enables portfolio-level vendor analysis by type. Reveals the enterprise’s vendor mix — how many SaaS providers vs. professional services firms vs. managed service providers — and informs vendor governance model design. Source — Manual. Examples — Technology Product Vendor, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Provider, Infrastructure / Cloud Provider, Professional Services Firm, Managed Service Provider (MSP), Staffing and Augmentation Firm, Maintenance and Support Provider, Data and Information Provider, Other Notes — A vendor may provide multiple types of services. Record the dominant type. If a vendor provides both SaaS and professional services, classify by the higher-value or more strategically significant engagement.
Vendor Tier	Crawl	Description — The strategic importance classification of this vendor to the enterprise. Benefit(s) — Drives governance investment proportional to vendor importance. Tier 1 vendors warrant quarterly business reviews, board-level visibility, and executive sponsorship. Tier 4 vendors can be managed through automated monitoring and self-service portals. Source — Manual. Examples — Tier 1 (Critical — enterprise cannot operate without this vendor), Tier 2 (Important — significant impact if lost), Tier 3 (Standard — manageable impact if lost), Tier 4 (Commodity — easily replaceable) Notes — Valid values: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4. Vendor Tier is a strategic designation set by the Enterprise Relationship Owner and reviewed annually. Distinct from Dependency Level, which is an operational assessment.
Industry / Sector	Walk	Description — The primary industry or sector in which this vendor operates. Benefit(s) — Enables concentration risk analysis across the vendor portfolio. When multiple Tier 1 or Tier 2 vendors operate in the same sector (e.g., cloud infrastructure), the enterprise has a sector concentration risk that is invisible from individual vendor records. Source — Manual. Examples — Enterprise Software, Cloud Infrastructure, Professional Services, Financial Technology, Healthcare Technology, Cybersecurity, Staffing and Workforce Solutions

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