Glossary definition

CAIQ

CAIQ is the Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire, a standardized cloud-security questionnaire from the Cloud Security Alliance aligned to its Cloud Controls Matrix.

Standards & Evidence

Why It Matters

In security reviews

A completed CAIQ lets a vendor answer many buyers' cloud-security questions once using a recognized format, reducing custom questionnaire work.

Workflow Context

Where it shows up

Shared during security reviews as a standardized alternative to a buyer's bespoke questionnaire.

Common Mistakes

What to avoid
  1. Treating caiq as a universal term with no workflow context.

    Use this as an editorial checkpoint when the term appears in a buyer review, internal workflow, or vendor evaluation.