Set up BPO sector specific CERTs: ASSOCHAM

While the government and BPO industry are taking variety of initiatives in the cyber security domain, apex industry body ASSOCHAM has suggested the government to establish BPO (business process outsourcing) sector specific computer emergency response team (CERT) to minimise cyber attacks in the BPO landscape.

The Government should mandate BPO sector-specific policies and procedures to address the security requirements. It can engage industry bodies, academia, law enforcement agencies to develop and define standards, mechanisms and guidelines which are in sync with requirements of the BPO sector, recommended ASSOCHAM.

“There is a need to promote cyber security as a social responsibility in BPO organisations,” said ASSOCHAM secretary general, Mr D. S. Rawat.

There is need to promote cyber security on war footing with collaboration between the government, industry and academia, over and above all the work that is already being done, said Mr Rawat.

This is in addition to further strengthening all activities done by BPO & ITeS industry to spread awareness & strengthen security initiative in the country, he said further.

With reference to the Press Release titled ‘Lax implementation of security measures & poor employee awareness to blame for cyber frauds in BPOs’ issued by ASSOCHAM on March 29, 2018 regarding ‘Understanding the perceptions and awareness around cyber security among employees working in BPOs,’ it must be noted that issues pertaining to the poor implementation of security protocols are not emblematic of the whole BPO industry.

There might be issues of lax implementation of security measures to keep a check on cyber frauds but the same should not be seen as an industry-wide problem, said Mr Rawat.

He also suggested that the expenses incurred on training, conferences, awareness programmes and other cyber security initiatives for residents should be included within these organisations’ CSR (corporate social responsibility) budgets.

ASSOCHAM in collaboration with Microsoft has launched ‘Cybersuraksha Youth Awareness Campaign,’ wherein series of workshops are being organised in various states with an aim to promote awareness about cyber security threats among citizens and provide up-to-date security information through education and sharing of good practices.