Data entry is an integral part of most businesses in the legal, medical, finance, media and technological sectors. Business organisations are burdened with large volumes of data that needs to be sorted, processed and analysed. To process this data effectively, most firms are availing data entry outsourcing services. Outsourcing is a great way to have the data processed accurately and timely, without hampering employee productivity and incurring high costs. However, when it comes to outsourcing data entry, there is a huge risk of data leakage.

Loss of sensitive business data can have adverse effects on the growth and reputation of the business. This is why data security is the primary concern of any business organisation. Here are some tips that will help you in ensuring data security:

1. Choose a trustworthy outsourcing partner – The first thing to do to ensure the safety of your data is to research thoroughly on the outsourcing vendor. Always assess the vendor’s capability to ensure data quality and safety. A trustworthy vendor will have a great reputation for delivering excellent services to its previous clients. Also, ensure that the vendor is aware of the necessary security standards and works in compliance with them.
2. Draft a Good Security policy – Before assigning the work to the outsourcing agent, make sure that you have a sound data security policy, in the form of a legal agreement which clearly states the security requirements. Remember to take guidance from a legal expert when drafting this agreement. Data classification between common and sensitive data should be clearly stated in the agreement.
3. Employ Technological Protection – Ensure that data is completely safe for sharing and processing on your end. For this, you should use proper encryption of data. This will ensure that your data is secure when being transmitted, especially in the case of cloud computing. Always have up-to-date antivirus software installed on your system and keep a backup of your data so that you do not lose it.
4. Monitor Data Usage and Traffic – To secure the data against leaks, it is essential that the data is accessible only to the concerned people. Insist that the data is accessible only to the employees. This should be emphasised by non-disclosure agreements and visitor screenings. Further, the vendor should also keep a check on the outbound traffic for potential data leaks.
5. Conduct Frequent Network and Application Safety Audits – Regularly conducting audits to check the network and application security will help in ensuring that the outsourcing is secure. It will help you to pinpoint any faults in the system and fix it before a leak or breach takes place. Identifying vulnerabilities of your application, device or database early on, will prevent their misuse later.

These are five crucial tips that will go a long way in protecting your data and ensuring the security of your outsourcing process. Make sure that you partner with a reliable outsourcing service provider who offers accurate data entry without compromising on data security.