Risks associated with outsourcing
Entrusting its IT development to an external company exposes a company’s confidential data, which can lead to security risks and data breaches. This exposure may occur while the company transfers sensitive data to a partner or if this same partner is the target of cyber attacks. When we talk about data leakage, we also mean the leakage of proprietary information such as intellectual property, sensitive files, internal technologies, or codes.
Another type of risk associated with outsourcing is non‑compliance. Regulatory texts and legislation, such as the GDPR in Europe or Act 25, govern certain practices and duties with which companies and their outsourcing partners must comply. While these risks may seem less worrying than cyber risks or data leaks, they can still result in heavy penalties for the company.
Strategies to ensure security and confidentiality
Given these risks, it is advisable to adopt specific strategies to ensure the least possible risk when outsourcing and to guarantee security and confidentiality.
Strict criteria must be applied when choosing a service provider for outsourcing to assess their reliability, skills and reputation. Particular attention should be paid to security certifications and the tools and procedures used by the outsourcing company. A background check can also help eliminate any suspicion.
Once the choice of service provider has been made, solid contracts, including non‑disclosure agreements (NDAs) between the two companies, should be established. Specific clauses on security and data protection should be clearly indicated.
These agreements must be followed when adopting secure practices for processes such as data transfer, storage, and communications between different teams. These must use secure, encrypted channels to ensure optimum security and confidentiality.
In this sense, controlling access to sensitive data is also a necessary strategy. Multi‑factor authentication and access monitoring will help prevent better and reduce risks. Sensitizing and training employees on these risks is the best way to combat malicious attacks or data leaks.
All these strategic efforts can be supported by technological solutions such as cybersecurity solutions or the use of secure platforms that enable collaboration (compliant cloud computing environments with access management).
The key to successful outsourcing is a partnership based on trust and transparency between the two companies. By choosing a web agency and a team of developers like Nmédia’s for your outsourcing, you put all the chances on your side to achieve secure outsourcing that respects confidentiality. In addition to our development outsourcing and application maintenance services, our experts can support you in developing and managing digital solutions. By working closely together, we can help you achieve your business objectives.