ISG Experts to Discuss Business Continuity, Data Security Issues Related to India's COVID-19 Lockdown

STAMFORD, Conn., March 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Experts from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, will discuss the impact of India’s COVID-19 lockdown on service continuity and data security during an ISG Smartalks™ webinar tomorrow.

The live, hour-long session, “How to Maintain Business Continuity as Providers Shift to a Remote Workforce,” at 1 p.m., U.S. Eastern Time, March 26, will review the implications of the just-announced, 21-day nationwide lockdown in India and the immediate steps enterprise customers should take to adapt to the new reality of their service providers working remotely.

Stanton Jones, director and principal analyst, ISG Research, will moderate the discussion with Brian Thompson, partner, and Thomas Barnekow, service line director, ISG Sourcing Solutions.

“COVID-19 is now keeping hundreds of thousands of IT and business services workers at home and impacting their access to delivery centers, regardless of what is stated in the contract,” Thompson said. “Near-term tactical decisions need to be made to ensure business-critical work continues while data security and privacy are maintained. Our webiar will recommend specific steps for solving the immediate need with providers in a rational way, working collaboratively for continuity of services, rather than focusing on defaults and terminations.” 

Thompson said enterprises should immediately engage providers with offshore delivery centers to create a jointly acceptable work-from-home waiver that defines scope, time and consequences. Enterprises and providers should carefully document the agreement and any process changes that must be made.

“Handling sensitive data in ‘clean rooms’ has been standard for offshore providers for years,” Barnekow said. “Working from home turns the clean room concept on its head, but there are ways to mitigate the risk.”

The March 26 webinar will outline steps enterprises should take to ensure providers are managing security and bandwidth for their employees who are working from home; training they will put in place to ensure proper data and device handling, and safe online behavior to reduce the risk of phishing and social engineering attacks. 

“Few enterprises could repatriate within days a process being performed by subject matter experts in India or move work to another provider likely to be in the same situation as the incumbent,” Jones said. “This extraordinary situation calls for flexibility, focus and executive-level attention. No service provider wants to fall into breach of their agreements, and they will be ready to work with their enterprise customers to find a solution.”

To register for the March 26 webinar, please visit this webpage. For more ISG insights on the impact of COVID-19 on the global services industry, visit isg-one.com/covid-19.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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Will Thoretz
Information Services Group, Inc. 
+1 203 517 3119
[email protected]

Jim Baptiste
Matter Communications for ISG
+1 978 518 4527
[email protected]

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