The Rise of Third-Party Vendor Partnerships

The Rise of Third-Party Vendor Partnerships

By Emily Deveau, Project Manager

Has your credit union considered integrating with a third-party vendor? If so, you are certainly not alone; credit union partnerships with third-party vendors are on the rise.

Whether the vendor you choose has worked with MDT before or not, MDT has a process in place to make these implementations as smooth as possible. Here are five steps to start your vendor integration project:

1. Chat with your CRM!
   • Let your CRM know what vendor and service you are interested in, and they will open an SOW Request ticket to get the process started.
2. Gatekeeper Registration
   • If this is a repeat vendor for MDT, skip to #4.
   • If the vendor is new to MDT, we will need to complete our Third-Party Vendor Review and Technical Security Management (TSM) process before the project can begin. The vendor will have to register in our new Partner Portal called Gatekeeper. After initial registration, they will be prompted to fill out a TSM Questionnaire. Once this is completed and approved by MDT, a technical call will be scheduled.
   • NOTE: If the vendor has been used by an MDT client before, and the vendor is moving from SymConnect to SymXchange, the same process above will be followed.
3. Technical Review
   • This call is between MDT, the vendor, and the credit union to review the TSM Questionnaire that was completed by the vendor in Gatekeeper. Topics discussed include SymConnect/SymXchange setup, connectivity details, and compliance requirements. MDT will complete its own TSM review after this call takes place.
4. SOW & Legal Agreements
   • An SOW will be created and sent to the credit union, and a ticket will be opened for any necessary legal agreements. (exp. NDA, MNDA, Hold Harmless)
5. Project Kickoff
   • Once the SOW and legal agreements are signed, the project will be scheduled.

Have questions?  Feel free to reach out to your CRM!