ProView invests in data security

ProView Global, the country’s first business process outsourcing (BPO) company that specifically caters to the benefits’ administration of employees in the United States, has invested millions of pesos in its IT infrastructure to ensure the security of data handling in its clients’ transactions.

"One of the biggest challenges we faced when we first thought of putting up an offshore company in the Philippines is convincing our US clients that their data are going to be secure. These are personal (data) we are talking about so we understand their concern," said Michael Rivera, president of ProView Global.

The administration of employee benefits involves handling the insurance benefits of a company’s workforce. These benefits are made available to US employees and they range from the traditional medical and dental benefits to the more complex Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) benefits that provide a continuation of healthcare coverage even after an employee has left a company.

ProView is currently handling the employee benefits’ administration of 26 mid-sized to large US companies.

"We are currently undergoing an ISO9001 certification. That’s a way of showing our clients that we are serious about our procedural quality control," Rivera said.

In line with this, ProView has applied biometric authentication in its offices. Biometrics involves the measurement and analysis of physical characteristics such as fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, and hand measurements in recognizing people entering a facility.

Rivera said the company also has significant restrictions on Internet access. "(Employees) can only go to very specific sites," he said.

And while the labor-intensive data processing is done by ProView’s able team of accounting and IT experts, Rivera said they cannot actually download or print any of the data they are working on in their computers.

"No data actually reside here," he said.

Rivera said ProView is currently looking for co-hosting facilities in either California or Hawaii.

"That means that the data will actually be in a professional hosting environment. Our clients will feel secure knowing that their data remain on US soil," he said.

And as ProView anticipates more clients in the near future, Rivera said they will continue upgrading their IT facilities.