How to keep your data safe

One of the most sensitive issues in the offshore and leased staff industry today, is the security of information between vendor and client. In the online business where information is passed back and forth, how can you keep it under lock and key?

Vendor and client should look into their own capabilities to keep the traffic of information smooth and safe. The big picture shows that while offshore service providers have a grip on internal security practices, information may leak out when clients don't do their job well. We've heard of so many cases involving intellectual property right infringement. These issues may not pose great risks to the outsourcing vendor, but the lines between vendor and client must be clearly defined.

Check on your vendor's track record. Offshore outsourcing requires data sharing and transfer to the offshore partner's location. It also requires offshore personnel to use and work on the same information. You can't allow vital information to leak out in the process. You don't have to wait for this scenario. Check the vendor's credentials and industry record. Choose the one that has built up a strong and reliable image, according to its peers and competitors. Particularly, your investigation should cover the vendor's IP assets, security policies, and business relations with other vendors.

Set up your own foolproof security software. When data is shared and trafficked online, it's prone to hacking, theft, leaks, and virus. Stop this by setting up your own safety software or take advantage of security software such as Secure FTP, VPN, Encryption, among others. This way the electronic transfer of vital information goes harm-free. Your client should be doing the same.

Test security facility.While vendor and client's security software may be in place, their personnel may not be aware of it. Somewhere along the way a personnel may unknowingly leak important data. This exposes your company to unpredictable damage. So before inking a deal with your offshore partner, gauge your client's security infrastructure: Pay particular attention to location, office buildings, Internet service provider, power supply, IT personnel, among others.

Keep confidential data to yourself. You don't have to share everything with your offshore client. There are certain limits to shared business information. Have a data control system in place to allow sharing of only the needed data. By all means do not allow unauthorized use of vital business information. From their end, you vendor or client should follow legal industry practices.

Train personnel on safe data storage. Business and company data should be stored, but in a way that everyone is held accountable for it. The offshore team should be trained how to keep that data safe so they don't end up leaking or misusing it. This is more evident in the personnel's handling of intellectual property. The offshore service provider and the client should decide which data should be kept for local use and which work should be outsourced.