Data Security vs Outsourcing
Outsourcing of data entry has become very common in the recent days. Outsourcing can give leverage to the parent company by concentrating on their core businesses rather than on data. Data entry is not easy as we discuss. Data Entry India needs to maintain accuracy and safety. Accurate data only gives you a company’s current status and future projections. Data has a vital role in management decision making. But it takes a lot of time and you need expertise for this job. So you may need more space, employees, and infrastructure for data entry at main office only. This can increase the cost of the company.
Once you outsource data that makes the job easy for the parent company. But here also you have security threats for the data. You may have sensitive data like pricing data, products data, management data, employee’s data, employer’s data etc in your database. These data are very important for both the company and for the competitors. If the competitors can take these details from the outsourcing company by bribing, it can create a big challenge for the parent company. Pricing data can be used by the competitors for their products. Product data they can use for their future projects and work according to the data. Any data that can have a direct or indirect impact on latest business decisions, future business course, and market trends are very sensitive and needs to be handled securely.
Missing data is another major issue in to outsourcing data entry companies. Data need to be saved in a very systematic manner and as and when required by the parent company they can transfer the details. Data needs to be saved properly and periodically in a standard way so that it is not lost even during emergency situations. Losing data will result in incomplete information and delayed management decisions. Data recovery can be quite expensive and time consuming both of which are a threat to emerging businesses.
These are some measures to ensure data security while outsourcing:
Outsourcing firm’s Track record
Before fixing the outsourcing firm, you need to check their track record with their existing clients. Ask for client references or check with their clients on their competency and quality of deliverables. You can also check whether they have experience in your field.
Legal Agreement with outsourcing firm
Before assign the outsourcing work, you need to ask for a probation period for outsourcing. If you are not satisfied with them you can always stop before getting into a legal agreement. All terms and conditions of outsourcing have to be in a legal agreement. This will bind them to data security legally.
Periodical internal and external auditing
Periodical auditing of data and security by the parenting company is very much required to ensure the security of data. It can be done by an external agency also to know whether any malpractice is happening in the outsourcing firm. These measures can make sure that your Offshore Data Entry Company is taking care of your information security.
Sharing Software for Data Entry
The software of the parent company will be available for 2 or 3 employees of the outsourcing company and they can work and upload all the data. These data will be saved in the company’s database itself. The parent company can take ample measures for security as data is stored in their database only.
Proper backup plans
Loss of data can be disastrous. Periodic backups of data have to be taken by the outsourcing firm to ensure that no data is lost. Multiple backups or backups in multiple media can also be enforced for additional security.
These are very simple but important factors to keep data safe in both outsourcing company and parent company. Data is the backbone of the entire business and it should be saved and maintained properly.
