Bringing in an outsourcing partner often starts with a discussion about skills, availability, and budget. You need people who can do the work, fit into your team, and help you meet deadlines.
Before anyone receives access to your systems, there is another conversation to have: how will company information be protected throughout the partnership?
A developer may need access to your code repository. A marketing specialist might work with customer information. A project manager could see internal plans, budgets, and client documents. The security requirements will depend on the work, so it helps to establish them early.
October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a useful opportunity to review those arrangements. If you’re considering an outsourcing partner, start with these six questions.
1. What will the team need access to?
Begin with the role and its responsibilities. Identify which tools, files, and systems someone needs to complete their work, and which permissions are necessary.
For example, a developer working in a test environment may not need access to live customer data. A content writer may need access to draft documents without needing permission to publish them.
Ask how access requests are approved, who manages permissions, and how they will be reviewed when responsibilities change. Giving everyone broad access at the start can leave you with permissions that are difficult to track later.
2. How will accounts and devices be protected?
Discuss the requirements for anyone connecting to your company’s tools.
Will people use company-managed devices or personal laptops? Who is responsible for software updates? Is multifactor authentication required? Will each person have an individual account?
Individual accounts make it easier to identify activity and remove access when someone leaves. Agreeing on these requirements before onboarding also gives the partner time to prepare, rather than discovering a mismatch on someone’s first day.
3. Where will company information be stored and shared?
Everyday collaboration can involve documents, screenshots, downloads, and messages. Be clear about which tools the team should use and where information can be stored.
Ask whether files may be downloaded to local devices, shared through personal email, or uploaded to external services. Include AI tools in this discussion: employees and contractors need to know whether company material can be entered into them.
If subcontractors will be involved, establish what they can access and which requirements apply to them. Your business should understand who will handle its information throughout the engagement.
4. What happens if someone notices a security problem?
A suspicious login or an accidentally shared file needs a clear reporting route.
Ask who your business should contact, how the partner will notify you of an incident, and what information they will provide. Establish who can suspend access and who will coordinate the response.
The arrangements should be specific enough for people to act on. A named contact and an agreed escalation process are more useful in an urgent situation than a general promise to take security seriously.
5. What happens when someone leaves or the project ends?
Offboarding should be planned alongside onboarding.
Agree who will disable accounts, remove repository access, retrieve company equipment, and handle copies of company information. Define when those actions should happen and how completion will be confirmed.
This matters when an individual changes roles as well as when the whole partnership ends. An account that stays active after someone’s work is finished remains an unnecessary point of access.
6. What evidence supports the partner’s answers?
Ask for documentation proportionate to the work involved. This might include relevant policies, an explanation of access controls, incident procedures, or the scope of any security certifications the partner holds.
A certification can provide useful evidence, but you still need to understand whether it covers the service you are buying. Similarly, a written policy should be backed by a clear explanation of how it works in practice.
Use the answers to identify gaps and agree on responsibilities before work begins.
Make security part of the partnership
These questions help both sides prepare for a working relationship. They clarify what your business expects, what the partner will manage, and where your own team needs to remain involved.
Revisit the arrangements when the project changes. Adding new tools, introducing customer data, or expanding the team may require different permissions and safeguards.
Sphise helps businesses build and expand remote teams across software engineering, web development, product design, IT, QA, project management, content, and marketing, with support through sourcing, screening, and onboarding.
If you’re planning to bring in external talent, discuss your operational and security requirements alongside the skills you need.
Tell us about your team’s requirements.
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