Advantages and Issues in Outsourcing of IT Security

Outsourcing is a trend in some companies today and became highly recommended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But first, let’s define outsourcing.

What is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is an arrangement in which one company contracts with another organization to provide services.

                           

Advantages of outsourcing of IT security

        1. To cut or reduce company expenses
    2. To have access to a global talent pool or wide source of partners
    3. To upgrade the organizations capabilities and services

    4. To improve the organizations focus on its core areas or priorities

Companies gain many benefits from outsourcing as stated above, but these benefits come with some issues. These include quality problems, loss of control, and potential data and security breaches.

Issues in IT Outsourcing and How to Address them

1. Quality Problems. These are commonly occurring when having a third-party business.

• How to Manage this Issue

       To help minimize this risk, a detailed product specification of outsourcing partner should be prepared, quality control specification, and checking regularly of the final product.

2. Loss of Control. The biggest risk of outsourcing is the lack of control over outsourcing partners.

• How to Manage this Issue

     Before hiring an outsourcing company, identify first, and secure that hired partner is trusted.

3.  Data Security and Integrity Issues. Another issue is concern over maintaining data security and integrity to safeguard against data security lapses.

•  How to Manage this Issue

    Preparing of Service Level Agreement and Non-disclosure agreement of parties for the protection of the organization in case of a future security breach.

Based on the above advantages and issues it is the choice of the company to take a risk to outsource their IT security. What to consider is the success of the company together with a healthy and happy working environment for the workers.

Resources:

TimeDoctor.com. Top 10 Risks of Outsourcing (and How to Manage Them). Retrieved 25 February 2022 from, https://biz30.timedoctor.com/risks-of-outsourcing/

Openpr.com. (2019). Outsourcing. Retrieved 25 February 2022 from  https://cdn.openpr.com/T/c/Tc16317672_g.jpg

Reynolds, G.W. (2010). Information Technology for Managers. Cengage Learning.