What is Risk Tolerance?

Risk Tolerance describes the acceptable deviation from Risk Appetite — the operational threshold at which risks must be escalated.

Risk Tolerance is the operational specification of Risk Appetite: it defines which deviations from risk management targets are still acceptable — and when escalation, countermeasures or reporting become necessary.

Risk Tolerance in supplier management

In TPRM, risk tolerance defines concrete thresholds: what cyber risk score of a supplier triggers a review? At what number of open critical vulnerabilities is a supplier relationship put on hold? These tolerance limits form the basis for automated escalation processes in 360TPRM.

Concrete thresholds

Risk Tolerance is defined in 360TPRM as measurable thresholds — e.g. 'Cyber Risk Score below 70 = automatic escalation to CISO'.

Risk Tolerance and regulatory requirements

NIS2 and DORA implicitly require a defined risk tolerance: organisations must specify which risks are acceptable and what measures are taken when exceeded. DORA requires concrete thresholds for ICT incidents that trigger reporting obligations. These regulatory thresholds must be integrated into TPRM processes.

Regulatory thresholds

DORA defines concrete reporting thresholds for ICT incidents — organisations must align their risk tolerance with these regulatory limits.

Measuring and monitoring Risk Tolerance

Risk Tolerance is measured and monitored through Key Risk Indicators (KRIs). In the supplier context, 360TPRM delivers continuous KRIs for all suppliers — cyber risk scores, exposure data, breach intelligence. When a supplier exceeds the defined tolerance limits, automatic escalation occurs.

Automatic KRI monitoring

360TPRM continuously monitors all defined supplier KRIs and automatically escalates when risk tolerance is exceeded.

FAQ

What is Risk Tolerance?+

Risk Tolerance is the operational threshold in risk management — it defines which deviations are still acceptable and when action must be taken.

What is the difference between Risk Tolerance and Risk Appetite?+

Risk Appetite is the strategic guideline; Risk Tolerance is its operational implementation. Risk Appetite defines the 'how much', Risk Tolerance the 'when'.

How is Risk Tolerance measured in TPRM?+

Via Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) — e.g. Cyber Risk Score, number of critical vulnerabilities, compliance status. 360TPRM monitors these KRIs continuously for all suppliers.

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