Should You Outsource HRMS Data Security?

HRMS data security and administration requires care and attention. You need to have resources in place who understand it and can maintain it in an ongoing manner, both for the configuration of the system processes, as well as for user access too. How should all of this be handled? Should you consider hiring consultants to improve your HRMS security? Or rely on your vendor’s security support? Or do it yourself? While the answers will vary per company, here are some key questions to help to guide you in the right direction.

What Is Your Long-Term Vision?

Are you expecting to outsource security for years, or is this just a stopgap measure while you work on other projects or prepare to implement a new HRMS system? The longer you outsource HRMS data security, the less knowledge that you’ll hold internally. While that may not matter due to converting to an entirely new system, in other cases it may be relevant. If you plan to retain the same HRMS for years, the business case may be there to hire an HRMS security analyst to fill the gap rather than outsourcing.

How Complex Are Your Organization and HR Processes?

Security setup during implementation benefits from multiple contributors: vendor and consultant advice, coupled with internal know-how of the business structure, as you implement security will help you to define a solid security model. If you can operationalize this model, it can go offshore or to for maintenance. However, if the setup requires business understanding to choose the right options each time a user requests access, it may require internal resources who know the business inside and out.

What Operational Coverage Do You Require?

What are your Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for security tasks in the HRMS? Do you subscribe to a model that ‘follows the sun’ with processes moving around the globe? I know of a recent example where a company was planning to use a superb niche outsourcer to provide HRMS data security and other tasks in a legacy system that was soon to be replaced. However, the vendor could not provide global support so ultimately they needed to choose another provider. Defining your SLA timelines is a key input for this topic.