Your government agency needs to outsource IT. How can you guarantee the security of your data?

In my experience this starts at the earliest stages of the procurement lifecycle . As you gate entrants into the pursuit only choose those who have the demonstrable credentials both at an organisational level and in terms of people espeically if clearance will be a requirement . Ability to mobilise and TUPE insight are essential so as to ensure continuity as you move from incumbant to the new provider supported by a clear plan that shows work breakdown structure supported by a RAID log .

To Outsource your IT, you must have carried out a detailed scoping exercise of the service, with specific focus on the various security levels of your Data and the security controls and procedures you currently use to manage your Data. You must request a recent Data risk assessment and mitigation exercise from the Outsourcer’s service who is selected to manage and deliver your services going forward and this must be compared with your current data security practices to be an improvement as a minimum. This should include a recent review of any security threats and vulnerabilities of his service. You must include in the contract a risk analysis and mitigation audit is carried out regularly with your involvement, together with a full DR test.

The security goals, measurements, and outcomes of the outsourced project should be measured and evaluated through the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs). An additional measure to guarantee data safety throughout an outsourcing project is to track and evaluate the security performance of the IT provider. Regular security audits, assessments, and testing should also be carried out to verify that the security controls and measures implemented by the IT provider are lawful and efficient. You should not only request and examine the security reports and documentation that the IT provider gives you, but you should also provide feedback and ideas for improvements.

In my experience, Outsourcing and being secure is a continuous journey, and hence governance is the most underrated aspect of the o/s industry. In brief, the agency may look at the below process, 1) Choose reputable vendors with certifications. 2) Define security in contracts. 3) Encrypt data in transit and at rest. 4) Control access tightly. 5) Audit vendor's security regularly. 6) Monitor and respond to incidents promptly. 7) Segregate data within vendor's infrastructure. 8) Enforce secure development practices. 9) Train staff on security. 10) Plan exit strategy for contract termination. Communication and collaboration with the vendor are vital for ongoing security.

Encouraging people who require access to your data for an outsourced project should be the only people you give the minimal amount of permissions required for them to do their jobs. Strict access control implementation for your agency and the IT supplier is the next step to ensure the security of your data. Secure authentication and encryption techniques, such VPNs, tokens, passwords, and biometrics as well should also be necessary in order to access your data. As another precaution against illegal or suspect access, you should routinely audit and examine the activity records and access logs.

Within a project or organization, defining clear roles and responsibilities entails identifying who is responsible for what decisions, duties, and results. Effective communication, accountability, and efficient operations are all ensured by this clarity. It entails defining authority levels, delegating particular tasks, and establishing performance standards. Clearly defined roles and duties facilitate teamwork, reduce confusion, and stop effort duplication. Usually, job descriptions, project charters, organizational charts, and other formal documents contain an outline of them. For the project or organization to respond to changes, regular reviews and updates are necessary.

While outsourcing is older than CMMC is, I do appreciate that CMMC learned from outsourcing. When it comes to collaborating with other providers, you need a Shared Responsibility Model (SRM). CMMC takes it a step further and requires the SRM to be formally assessed by a third party to ensure it is effective. That step tells you the importance of SRM. While outsourcing will not require you to hire an auditor for your SRM, the better the SRM, the better the overall engagement will be. The SRM allows your organization and the outsourcer to work in lockstep towards your business goals. Conversely, not have a strong SRM will leave you busy trying to resolve the misses, fix the gaps, and unhappy.

Choosing the right provider is crucial, but true data security hinges on defining clear roles and responsibilities. Foster trust through a contract outlining not just deliverables, but also joint accountability for security. Define both parties' obligations, liabilities, and incident response protocols. Assign security-focused project managers and officers on both sides for clear communication and issue escalation. Regular meetings ensure alignment and swift action.Don't settle for static documents. Request access to real-time security logs and penetration testing reports for continuous assessment and threat identification. Build trust, foster collaboration, and actively monitor your partnership when it comes to data security.

Clear roles and responsibilities are key to securing data in government IT outsourcing. Draft a detailed contract specifying scope, deliverables, timelines, and security obligations. Appoint a dedicated project manager and security officer to oversee the process and liaise with the IT provider. Ensure both parties have a well-defined escalation and reporting mechanism for security issues. This structured approach, emphasizing accountability and constant communication, is vital for maintaining data integrity and addressing potential security incidents effectively in the outsourcing relationship

Para mi siempre ha sido fundamental la RACI no solamente de cara al proveedor y la empresa sino inclusive a los diferentes roles que están en un proyecto de outsourcing de este calibre. Adicionalmente, un anexo operativo del servicio al contrato donde las partes tengan claro como es la operación, a que nos comprometemos, y los acuerdos fundamentales. los modelos de comunicación. AUnque el mundo agil nos lleva a deci que un principio es que primero conversamos y negociamos para generar valor vs los contratos en mi experiencia y práctica el contrato no debe dejar de reflejar la realidad de la negociación, acuerdos y principios. pues ante un riesgo materializado, una falla donde hay responsabilidad lo que prima siempre será el contrato.

Giving your staff the training, guidance, and tools they need to understand and follow the security policies, procedures, and standards set forth by your company and the IT provider is essential. The next step in guaranteeing the protection of your data is to provide your staff with training and education on data security best practices and laws while outsourcing IT. You should also increase their understanding of common security hazards such as malware, phishing, and social engineering and how to identify and avoid them. Encourage your staff to report any security concerns or incidents to the appropriate authorities.

Data Residency and Compliance: Understand the data residency requirements and compliance standards relevant to your industry and geographic location. Ensure that the outsourcing partner complies with these standards and regulations.

é um grande desafio construir uma cultura de seguran?a de dados e acesso, pois pode parecer num primeiro momento que vai contra a produtividade. Estabelecer o Zero Trust internamente requer uma mapeamento rigoroso de aplica??es e ferramentas para definir os privilégios mínimos que os usuários precisam, para assim ter um nível mais alto de gerenciamento (SIEM), controle sobre administra??o granular, e capacidade de mitigar os impactos de um possível ataque ou vazamento de dados.

Implementing strict access controls is crucial for data security in government IT outsourcing. Limit data access to essential personnel involved in the project, granting them only the minimum necessary permissions. Employ robust authentication methods, like strong passwords, tokens, biometrics or VPNs to secure data access. Regular auditing and reviewing of access logs and activity records are vital. This helps in early detection and prevention of unauthorized or suspicious access. These measures ensure that data is accessed securely and only by authorized individuals, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches or leaks in the outsourcing arrangement

El gran reto es hacer un buen ejercicio de perfilmiento de las funciones del proveedor que tendra acceso a tus sistemas y un modelo ordenado de otorgamiento y modificación continua. no es posible que tengamos empresas que el proveedor se le cancela el contrato o se retira una persona y luego de meses aun hay accesos activos. el objetivo también es automatizar el control de acceso y la certificación continua de los mismos y evitar riesgos materiales en este frente

No. The first step is to make sure that you understand your legislative, policy and business requirements and then understand how they drive your technical and security requirements. Then make sure those business aligned requirements are captured in the requirements documents. Far too many customers don’t properly consider the requirements of the business that the technology and security is supporting before they proceed with outsourcing. Once the vendor is selected and the contract is signed it’s difficult and expensive to change it retrospectively.

Establishing precise roles and duties for your agency and the IT supplier is another crucial step in ensuring the protection of your data. A contract should be established that details the objectives, deliverables, schedule, and scope of the outsourcing project. It should also outline each party's responsibilities, liabilities, and security needs. It is advisable to choose a specific project manager and a security guard to supervise and keep an eye on the outsourcing procedure. They should also maintain continuous communication and coordination with the IT supplier. Additionally, make sure that there is a clear reporting and escalation process in place for any security events or issues, both for your agency and the IT supplier.

Most people have heard the mantra of “Security by Design” and this is a perfect place to implement it. It starts with the design of the agreement. Cybersecurity needs to be part of the contract and governing principles. This is done before the first service or technology plan is put together. This also sets the tone to be followed through out the engagement. Don’t forget to include Privacy, Data Governance, and AI as other guiding principles. Making deliberate decisions to put these front and center will allow you to build out a robust & reasonable cyber program that you know is working, because the testing and monitoring are there by design.

Creo que además de tener SLAs operativos, KPIS de los diferentes drivers del servicio es fundamental tener elementos de seguridad medibles y claves para el negocio. de otro lado depende del contexto del servicio que estamos contratando. Si contrato un model de servicio SAS mas que un KPI una brecha critica de seguridad sin atención, un ataque proveniente del tercero más que un sla o un kpi es causal de terminación. hay que ser claros con el tema la seguridad no es negociable

Continuously monitor and test security performance to ensure robust protection. Regular assessments, penetration testing, and real-time monitoring help identify vulnerabilities and potential threats. This proactive approach allows for timely adjustments to security measures, maintaining a strong defense against evolving risks and ensuring the ongoing effectiveness of the security infrastructure.

Picking an IT supplier with a track record of providing government clients with secure, high-quality services can help ensure the protection of your data. To confirm their knowledge, experience, and reputation, you should look through their reviews, certifications, references, and credentials. Inquire about their security standards, guidelines, and practices as well as how they abide by the applicable laws and rules pertaining to government data.

Ensure data security with a contingency and backup plan. Regularly back up critical data, establish recovery procedures, and store backups offsite. Test the processes to confirm effectiveness and maintain comprehensive documentation for quick and efficient responses during unforeseen events.

Threat modelling and playbook creation for steps to be taken during contingencies is important, this will help mitigate variety of risk like unplanned data exposure, timely service restoration, and possible containment action to limit the impact.

Contingency Planning: Develop a clear plan detailing roles and actions for both your agency and the IT provider if a security incident occurs, aiming for rapid recovery to normal operations. Disaster plan! Backups: Ensure your data is backed up in a secure, separate location, allowing for quick access and recovery in any situation.

This is a critical step. Equip staff with clear & accessible data security protocols for the outsourcing partnership. Foster understanding of both agency & provider's policies. Train on common threats like phishing, malware & social engineering, empowering them to identify & avoid risks. Build a culture of security and encourage open communication & reporting of any security concerns or incidents. Establish clear reporting channels for swift action. Offer ongoing training & updates on evolving threats & best practices for continuous learning. Invest in building a security-aware workforce. By empowering & educating your staff, you create a vital line of defence in safeguarding government data.

Make every stakeholder involved in the project aware of the regional regulations and data privacy and data protection laws. It all starts with awareness. Once this awareness is created, bind them to the data usage and processing guidelines by ensuring that they are equal party in the signed agreements. This also protects them in the event of a third-party breach. Then establish layered security protocols and daily monitoring tools.

An informed staff is critical. Despite the improvements in cybersecurity, people will always be critical to success. Finding a way to make the training resonate is key. If the training leaves the trainee uninvested, it wasn’t valuable. I once conducted training by placing free candy at the checkout for our company cafeterias. The candy had a short URL and a short teaser printed on them. When they went back to their desk and typed the URL in, they landed on a training page about social engineering. That simple lesson resulted in internal discussions, joking annoyance, and a real lesson learned. It was a success! Find ways to educate your teams that will resonate with them and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.

Die Schulung von Mitarbeitern in Datensicherheits best practices ist unsere Standard Empfehlung bei und m.E. essentiell, birgt jedoch Herausforderungen bezüglich Aktualit?t und Einheitlichkeit. Rechtlich st?rkt dies die Compliance und mindert Haftungsrisiken durch pr?ventive Sensibilisierung für Sicherheitsbedrohungen. Die Effektivit?t h?ngt von regelm??igen Updates und standardisierten Inhalten ab. Zur rechtlichen Absicherung sind die Implementierung von Effektivit?tsmessungen und die Anpassung an neue Bedrohungen unverzichtbar. Solche Ma?nahmen sichern nicht nur datenschutzrechtliche Anforderungen ab, sondern f?rdern auch eine durchg?ngige Sicherheitskultur. Die Schulungen sollten m?glichst interaktiv und spielerisch sein.

Great question after learning from the world news that China-backed hackers had access to some major U.S. critical infrastructure for five years. This group is exploiting vulnerabilities in routers, firewalls & VPNs to target water, transportation, energy and communications systems across the US. The group relied heavily on stolen admin credentials to maintain access to the systems & maintained access for "at least 5 years." They've been controlling surveillance camera systems. Access may allow the group to disrupt our essentials.They use so-called "living off the land" techniques that limit any trace of their activities on a network making the actors more difficult to detect. It seems like cyber attacks are getting more sophisticated!

A backup plan should also guarantee that you have copies of your data kept in a safe place apart from your primary data source and that you can quickly access and retrieve your data. To ensure the safety of your data, prepare backups and contingencies for any emergencies, natural catastrophes, and disruptions. In the event of a security problem, you should have a contingency plan that details the roles, duties, and actions of both your agency and the IT provider, as well as how to quickly resume regular operations.

One effective way to manage the risk is to perform regular audit and feedback that will tie to the oursourcer KPI, and dedicated contract manager to enforce contract mechanism to impose penalty when the SLA is not met. Otherwise, outsourcer performance may be difficult to manage,

An exit strategy. Any agreement, even the most perfect marriage, can end. Having an exit strategy lowers the risk levels dictated by a degradation, or even an interruption, of services

Outsource is never a guarantee that things will be safe and within community guidelines. In a world ruled by money anyone is brought or sold. Carefully choose the outsourcer, define what protocols are to be followed Keep a check and make sure you keep surprise checks else you May wake up to data leakage about your organisation heading the news. Believe me it's not easy to sip your coffee on a bad news day. At 63 I just came to learn more on IT from a background of Special Intelligence to AI Azure PDP PGP certification courses Just one' year ago. All my degrees are taken at 55+. Will never question or judge your credibility but I listen hear see and smell with my year's of experience understanding voice content eye contact n body language.

Based on the services that are considered for outsourcing some points to consider : 1) define stringent SLA 2) have measurable key performance areas defined 3) have right to audit and test clause introduced 4) get a clear understand on bcp/dr strategies of service provider 5) take cyber insurance plans