A survey commissioned by IT assurance company NCC Group found that 20 percent of IT managers for large enterprises fear that their outsourced IT systems are provided with less IT security than their in-house systems, says Sourcing Mag.

The same study showed that only 64 percent of medium-sized business IT managers believe that the outsourcers they use have formal IT security policies. Despite the data, more companies are signing on with low-cost outsourcing providers that have yet to prove their IT security credentials. But perhaps the businesses should shoulder some of the blame. John Redeyoff of 365 Assured, which offers its own independent certification program, said:

The security industry and IT managers are calling for suppliers to prove they are secure, yet companies choosing to outsource business-critical systems simply aren't asking the right questions, and are putting business critical functions at risk as a result.

Redeyoff went on to add that both businesses and outsourcing companies should take a stance on IT security issues. Enterprises seeking to outsource must get their suppliers to back up their credentials with proven data. Also, outsourcing companies must demonstrate the depth of their security and prove that they are up-to-date with security technologies and procedures.