The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry is rightfully viewed as a high-risk sector for data breaches, primarily due to loosely deployed data security regulations and ineffective third-party access controls. Indeed, with new technologies such as AI, machine learning and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) offering the ability to parse through increasing amounts of customer data, the need for the industry to adapt and strengthen its data security measures has never been stronger.
Hiring offshore BPO service providers is not new for worldwide customers, but they and their clients are now more aware of the implications of data breaches. Corporations today demand strict data security policies from their vendors and expect their BPO partners to follow global protocols. While this may translate into higher short-term costs for improving customer management, data retention or data transfer, it helps secure a BPO provider’s reputation in the long term.
Guidelines for BPOs to ensure data security
Here are the three essential guidelines for BPOs to overcome data security issues and uphold compliance with user privacy.
Physical security and access controls: Several data breaches in the past have occurred because of easy access to data for employees of all levels. This is something that an effective security mechanism, both physical and virtual, can handle with ease. Another aspect is to conduct effective background checks of employees and also educate them about the perils of cyber attacks.
Secure communications and network: BPOs that don’t efficiently deploy data encryption solutions, this can be devastating. Nowadays, there are several unified solutions available in the market for all industries and operational sizes to secure communications, optimise storage, encrypt data at all levels and raise alarms when unusual behaviour is detected. InKnowTech, specialise in critical security functions such as firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spam, web content and more.
Reassure customers about data security compliance: Customers appreciate service providers that are proactive and share the whys and whats of data security without being asked, and this also helps project an image of a particular service provider as a reliable custodian of sensitive data. we at InKnowTech, understand the significance of this practice keeping security and information privacy standards in mind.