# BSI C5:2020 SSO-05 — Exit strategy for the receipt of benefits

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-05-exit-strategy-for-the-receipt-of-benefits
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [BSI C5:2020 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020) › Supplier & Service Oversight (SSO)
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**BSI C5:2020**·Criterion `SSO-05`·high·Component: **Supplier & Service Oversight**

## What this control requires

> Defines exit strategies for high-dependency third-party services, detailing transition costs, roles, and success criteria. Aligns with continuity plans to ensure service continuity and protect cloud customer data during provider transitions.
> 
> — BSI C5:2020, Criterion SSO-05

### In plain English

Defines exit strategies for high-dependency third-party services, detailing transition costs, roles, and success criteria. In practice, this means you can prove you risk dependency-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

BSI C5 is the default cloud-security baseline German public-sector buyers and many DAX-listed enterprises expect; gaps here directly block procurement in the DACH region and frequently appear as must-have items in EU public-tender documents.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

A C5 attesting auditor (under ISAE 3000 / IDW PS 860) tests both the design and — for a Type 2 — the operating effectiveness over the attestation period. For each criterion they look for both the Basic and any in-scope Additional objectives.

Within **Supplier & Service Oversight**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion SSO-05) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Business Continuity

**BC/DR.** Define RTO/RPO per service, test backup restoration quarterly, and run a tabletop of full-region failover annually.

**Backups.** Immutable backups (S3 Object Lock / Azure immutable storage / GCS bucket lock) plus an air-gapped copy for ransomware resilience.

#### Cloud Posture

**CSPM.** Run Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center over every account; auto-ticket findings above your accepted-risk threshold.

### Operational checklist

-   **Risk.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Exit.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Business.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** dependency, cloud customer data, business continuity, management.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Vendor Risk Management.** `vendor_risk_management` evidence

Third-party risk management evidence (assessments, contracts, due diligence) shows supplier oversight. Focus: Exit strategy for the receipt of benefits.

## Common pitfalls

-   DR plans that have never been tested in earnest, or that depend on an MFA token only one person can produce.
-   Treating CSPM findings as a backlog instead of a hot queue: findings older than the policy SLA accumulate until the auditor asks why.

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC9.2** — Vendor Risk Management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc9-2-vendor-risk-management)

## Related controls in BSI C5:2020

-   [**Criterion SSO-02** — Risk assessment of service providers and suppliers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-02-risk-assessment-of-service-providers-and-suppliers)
-   [**Criterion SSO-01** — Policies and instructions for controlling and monitoring third parties](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-01-policies-and-instructions-for-controlling-and-monitoring-third-parties)
-   [**Criterion SSO-03** — Directory of service providers and suppliers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-03-directory-of-service-providers-and-suppliers)
-   [**Criterion SSO-04** — Monitoring of compliance with requirements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-04-monitoring-of-compliance-with-requirements)
-   [**Criterion COS-03** — Monitoring of connections in the Cloud Service Provider's network](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/cos-03-monitoring-of-connections-in-the-cloud-service-provider-s-network)
-   [**Criterion BCM-02** — Business impact analysis policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/bcm-02-business-impact-analysis-policies-and-instructions)

## References

-   [Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) — BSI C5:2020](https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Topics/CloudComputing/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue_node.html)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Criterion SSO-05`

Topics: vendor riskvendor managementsupply chain securitybusiness continuitycloud posture

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.
