Can a call center in the Philippines ensure data security?

While IT experts don t agree that outsourcing threatens US employment, they still see it as threat to something else: customer data security.

Tech outsourcing firms and call center in the Philippines, India, UK, and every other offshoring site around the world are not exempted from the risks, which brought industry experts to the notion that the “global cyber landscape is a scary place.” And for them, outsourcing is one of the underlying causes of cybercrime.

These are just some of the topics highlighted in the recent RSA Conference, an annual information security gathering attended by thousands of IT and Internet leaders around the world. The talk, however, did not leave outsourcing in a bad light.

Where does the threat come from?

Andy Ellis, chief security officer of software firm Akamai Technologies, attributed the threat to low-cost, low-quality outsourcing deals. He noted that companies get the damaging equivalent of the cheap services they buy.

“You get what you pay for,” he said. “If you move it to somewhere that’s a lower cost, there’s a reason it’s lower cost. Sometimes it’s because you aren’t getting as skilled personnel.”

Attendees did not discount the merits of outsourcing, but they agreed that it has untold consequences if put on the hands of an unreliable vendor. Manufacturers may have lesser worries on this matter, but for companies trusting an outside entity for their web-based tasks such as accounting and app development, the possibility of data theft can be a major downside.

Is the Philippines a safe place to outsource?

“A hundred percent of third parties showed signs of compromise or indicators of threats,” LookingGlass Cyber Solutions security analyst Chris Coleman made this startling revelation after auditing 20 subcontractors hired by big international banks. Inferring from this, there is no place that is truly free from the threat of data theft. There are, however, reliable firms that keep data safe from intrusions.

For Cisco chief security officer John Stewart, “It really depends on where you’re sitting, what you think the risk is.” He noted that countries that mandate businesses to report breaches build better trust in clients.

As cybercrime is a hot topic, outsourcing to an IT firm or call center in the Philippines could be a sensible decision, especially now that the government is fortifying its stand against Internet crimes.

And having long experience and high reputation in delivering telemarketing, IT, and customer service solutions to international clients, Philippine outsourcing firms could assure that customer data is kept and handled professionally since these services where the country excels involve data extraction and gathering from customers.

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