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How do you address concerns on security related to outsourcing?

Question: How do you address concerns on security related to outsourcing?

Sid Adelman's Answer: The requirement for security is primarily a function of what needs to be secured. Identify the level of security required for your system and then ask the outsourcers what they would do to secure the system and ask them to estimate the cost and effort of the additional security. As you ask the same questions of multiple potential outsource vendors, you will hear new and different approaches and they will give you an education on the techniques as well as the cost and effort of securing your system.

Chuck Kelley's Answer: I have been always been against outsourcing important and sensitive data. Once it leaves the control of your facility, you no longer have total control and security is one of the first things that you lose. You must put strong wording in your outsourcing agreement based on what would happen if the data that was outsourced became instantly available for the world to see. Also, make sure that the laws of the country that you will be outsourcing to are strong in their protection of your rights. Lastly (although there are many more issues to address), I would make the company purchase a bond or insurance policy that is payable to you in case security fails. You will be sued, not the company you outsourced to, and you may need that money for their failure.


Sid Adelman is a principal in Sid Adelman & Associates, an organization specializing in planning and implementing data warehouses, in data warehouse and BI assessments, and in establishing effective data architectures and strategies. He is a regular speaker at DW conferences. Adelman chairs the "Ask the Experts" column on www.dmreview.com. He is a frequent contributor to journals that focus on data warehousing. He co-authored Data Warehouse Project Management and is the principal author on Impossible Data Warehouse Situations with Solutions from the Experts and Data Strategy. He can be reached at (818) 783-9634 or visit his Web site at www.sidadelman.com.

Chuck Kelley is an internationally known expert in database and data warehousing technology. He has 30 years of experience in designing and implementing operational/production systems and data warehouses. Kelley has worked in some facet of the design and implementation phase of more than 50 data warehouses and data marts. He also teaches seminars, co-authored four books on data warehousing and has been published in many trade magazines on database technology, data warehousing and enterprise data strategies. He can be contacted at chuckkelley@usa.net.

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