Nasscom launches trusted sourcing initiative

In order to put in place a standard for security among Indian BPO companies and also address the growing concerns on data security and IP protection, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) has launched a trusted sourcing initiative.

Kiran Karnik, president, Nasscom, said: "The objective of this initiative is to reinforce India as a secure outsourcing destination. We would like to achieve gold standards in the offshoring space, similar to our foray in IT."

Nasscom's interest to recommend the standards of data security is pre-emptive in nature, as most Indian BPO companies have already put in place some of the best-in-class security norms.

The association will work closely with the government to compile and formulate a standard for security practices. This effort is expected to be in place in the next 12 months.

"We want to build trust among customers who outsource work to India, especially those who send credit card information and finance and accounts data. Data can move out of these companies to India only if Indian firms are compliant to all security standards," Karnik explained.

Nasscom has undertaken a study to recommend the regulatory environment and security practices for BPO companies. The report has been done in conjunction with Evalueserve and benchmarks Indian IT and ITES-BPO companies with their counterparts in the US and UK with regard to practices followed on data security, confidentiality and privacy laws.