ECCP sets IT security standards training

Stronger online security will be a huge competitive edge for Filipino firms out to provide outsourcing services to information technology (IT) companies in the European Union (EU), the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said.

Security has become the biggest headache of IT companies with worldwide losses to online security breaches amounting to $17.5 billion in 2004.

To counter security threats, more firms demand that outsourcing companies comply with international security standards such as ISO 27001: 2005 on Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) that is to be officially approved by yearend.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) constitute the specialized system for worldwide standardization.

Ester Costanzo, head of capability building services of the European Commission-funded ECCP ComQuaL Project, said Filipino IT companies wanting to bag contracts in Europe must reassure clients that they can deliver quality products and services on time.

"They must also show they are taking appropriate measures to preserve the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information," Costanzo said.

Research firm IDC estimated that European businesses outsourced $198 billion worth of projects in 2004, mostly in business process outsourcing (BPO).

ComQual is pushing the European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model as a means for Filipino companies to penetrate the EU’s IT market.

The EFQM is a business management framework aimed at sustaining wealth generation. Its strength lies in its self-assessment procedures, continuous improvement, target measurement and monitoring, and stakeholder satisfaction.

The ECCP is helping Filipino IT companies build capability to achieve maturity levels in international standards through a cycle of training courses and coaching implemented by the EU-Philippines ComQual project.

The ECCP also provides business facilitation services to local IT companies through the network of the European IT Service Center, BITKOM and GAIA (the Association of Electronic and Information Technologies Industries of the Basque Countries in Spain).

The first training courses took place last July and August, covering the EFQM Excellence Model, ISO 9001: 2000 for IT and software environment, and ISO27001: 2005 with the participation of European partners and local collaborators.

The latter included GAIA, PERA Neville-Clarke UK and PERA Neville-Clarke Philippines Inc.

A second group of local IT companies will soon be selected for training and coaching in 2006. Interested parties may e-mail [email protected].

The recently introduced ISO 9001: 2000 standard for IT and software environment takes into account business and process improvement. It also focuses on customer satisfaction and requires organizations to identify their internal processes.