Which of the following is the MOST effective way to ensure the security of services and solutions delivered by third-party vendors?

Reviewing third-party contracts defines expectations but does not actively verify that those expectations are met in the delivered services.

Performing an audit on vendors' security controls and practices provides a snapshot of their overall security posture, but might not specifically focus on the exact service or solution being delivered to your organization.

Integrating risk management into the vendor management process is a crucial overarching strategy, but conducting direct security reviews on delivered services is a more tangible and effective method of ensuring security, rather than just managing the risk.

Conducting security reviews specifically on the services and solutions delivered by third-party vendors is the most effective way to ensure their security because it directly assesses the operational security posture of the actual outputs consumed by the organization. This active, targeted verification process identifies vulnerabilities or misconfigurations within the delivered product or service itself, providing concrete evidence of its security adherence rather than relying solely on contractual obligations or general control audits.