Security, confidentiality, compliance are crucial in business nowadays.  That does not mean that you should not outsource.  Lots of businesses are outsourcing right now!

It doesn’t need to be hard, but you still need to take it seriously.  Also be mindful that some things should not be outsourced.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t be put off before you start (many firms outsource already)
• Have security processes in place, like you would for a local employee
• Protect your virtual assistants (VA’s)
• Have the right software/tools in place

Be security conscious and ask the right questions from the start – but don’t be put off before you even get going.  Security is not in the ‘too hard basket’, like everything else it just needs to be managed.  However, if you are working directly with a manage-everything-yourself virtual assistant model, this can prove difficult unless you have taken the time to put good legal contracts in place.

Firstly, the VA company you are dealing with needs to have its own security policies and procedures in place.  Virtual Assistants should have contracts of employment with clearly defined security policies and actions should a breach occur.

Virtual Assistants will be working in the exact same manner as your local staff would if they were working from home (eg. in situations such as a COVID lockdown) – so aim to replicate the same structures of ‘how’ you, or your team, are working from home/ remotely.

Put the right security in place for the data and tasks you want the virtual assistant to have access to, to conduct their role.  You need to have your own working policies and procedures in place with your VA – within reason – you need to be serious but you don’t need to over complicate your security if you are compliant, and are not already using certain security measures in your business.

Many VA companies offer ‘remote desktop’ login or password protection software so that virtual assistants log in to a computer in Australia before accessing any of your company’s data or applications.  Password protection software allows VA’s to access the programs they need to complete their work but they never see the login or passwords for those applications.  This protects your VA as well as your business data.

More advanced security methods include establishing VPN’s (virtual private networks) from your business to the VA or to the provider you are working with.  If your business does not have a VPN then do your research on the best VPN for you, based on your needs.

Speak to your IT provider/ specialist to ensure that you have the right security elements in place and that you are compliant to the security policies required by your industry.

Put the right security in place for the data and tasks you want the virtual assistant to access, in order to effectively conduct their role.