"The process of turning over an organization’s computer central
operations, telecommunications networks, or applications
development to external vendors of these services is called
outsourcing" (2014). Offshore outsourcing of various IS functions
poses some risks of confidentiality and privacy and makes it hard to
manage such risks. Outsourcing IS can create loss of control and
vulnerability of private information (2014). Creating and managing
information systems can be expensive and takes a lot of time. b
Outsourcing can be a cost-effective option and frees up time for
various employees in a company to do other functions. Certainly,
outsourcing has several benefits but also poses risks. It may not we
right for every organization.
So, does the organization have any responsibility to protect the
privacy of its customers personal information? Absolutely.
Safeguarding customer data is essential to a organizations success. b
Such data should be regard as an "asset". "This means that you must
protect the data of your employees, your customers, your partners,
vendors, and all contacts for which your company does business and
that is in your care" (Group, 2020). I think with outsourcing, having a
clear contract with the third party is essential. It should clearly
define privacy and data protection. Outsourcing offshore is a normal
business practice, and the law in such countries needs to be
understood. b Outsourcing with a reputable third party is very
important and should be considered prior to working with anyone
offshore. b
References:
Group, T. P. (2020, June 13). Data Privacy is a business responsibility.
The Penn Group. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from
https://thepenn.group/blog/cybersecurity/data-privacy-is-a-
business-
responsibility/#:~:text=Your%20company%20has%20a%20responsib
ility%20to%20safeguard%20customer,its%20employees%2C%20is%
20the%20organization%E2%80%99s%20most%20essential%20asset
Outsourcing Information Systems. OUTSOURCING INFORMATION
SYSTEMS. (2014, April 1). Retrieved December 8, 2022, from
https://www.management4all.org/2014/04/outsourcing-
information-
systems.html#:~:text=The%20process%20of%20turning%20over%2
0an%20organization%E2%80%99s%20computer,have%20existed%2
0since%20the%20dawn%20of%20data%20processing.
