HFS Highlight: Teleperformance’s Cloud Campus prepares to overcome cyber threats in its global work-from-home model

Data security and privacy have always been a critical concern in the BPO industry, as vulnerability to cyber threats present potential revenue-impacting events. Teleperformance, the largest contact center BPO company with over 380,000+ employees across 83 countries, has made huge investments over the years in creating cybersecurity models to reduce these threats, which became increasingly critical in 2020’s crisis-induced rush to work-from-home. In 2019, Teleperformance implemented a Detection and Response capability on a cloud orchestrated platform to detect threats and prevent attacks, which is now the cornerstone of its cloud security strategy. In a recent Teleperformance analyst event, we heard about the significant updates to its security strategy that have been implemented across the globe, under its umbrella work from home offer called Cloud Campus, to handle the tremendously expanded work at home environment.

Work from anywhere is here to stay – and corporate data privacy is a critical concern

As the pandemic resulted in organizations moving employees from office space to work from home environment in 2020, the disruption to the contact center workplace model was one of the most striking. With limited work from home infrastructure, the vulnerabilities within contact center operations were tremendous; enterprises and service providers alike were stuck between a rock and a hard place to figure out how to transition customers safely. Cloud capabilities became a catalyst for decentralized data security as companies sought answers for how to manage security at scale in a remote environment. Exhibit 1 below illustrates the top-level criticality of both cyber and cloud as it relates to operational objectives, and the two are symbiotically related.

Exhibit 1: Cybersecurity and cloud are the top areas of focus for enterprises to meet operational objectives

Q:  How much are you focusing on the following technology areas to meet these objectives?

Source: HFS 2020, Sample: 400 enterprise decision makers

Security as a business enabler: a catalyst for trusted client relationships and outcomes

To pivot for this workplace model disruption, Teleperformance standardized its existing cloud orchestrated platform at the global level, by taking the data from the endpoints and aggregating it, securing data at all levels of the customer journey and the entire business ecosystem.  Ensuring standardization and security across the 80 countries where Teleperformance operates is no easy feat.   The goal of the TP Cloud Campus is to connect remote teams in a truly resilient, flexible, secure, and robust work-at-home environment. Here are some of its key features and elements:

• TP Signal provides bandwidth and secured network extensions to connect systems remotely. Along with TP-owned devices, it also allows for the Bring Your Device (BYOD) model. This is now standard operation when recruiting and hiring new employees, with the ability to remotely test whether the prospect’s bandwidth will meet requirements. Dedicated security operation centers in the Philippines and Greece were assigned to provide security to the architecture.
• TP Observer is the desktop security console which with its AI and ML capabilities provides an additional security layer by monitoring employee movements. A few of the TP’s Observer’s capabilities include Visual/Login Authentication and detection of multiple people or unpermitted phones within the room while the employee is logged in.
• Teleperformance’s Privacy Program works on implementing the Internationally recognized privacy policy, mapping the individual country’s privacy regulations to standard regulations. The firm’s privacy office performs legal research and responsible for ensuring policies meet regulatory requirements in each country where Teleperformance operates.

The robust capabilities described above are not your standard tick-the-box security features to remain at parity with competitors and satisfy legal requirements.  Instead, they are considered by Teleperformance as core to their customer strategy, enabling a deeper trust and partnership focus with clients.  As such, the overall Teleperformance strategy is proactive and holistic, as illustrated in Exhibit 2 below.

Exhibit 2:  The four pillars of Teleperformance’s Cyber Security Strategy are about staying ahead of threats as well as competitors

In another example of Teleperformance going above and beyond what’s standard and required from a regulatory standpoint, in response to GDPR, Teleperformance received the Binding Corporate Rules (BCR)approval from the EU as both data controller and processor. This allows clients to choose service locations anywhere in the world, to internationally transfer EU personal data (client and TP employees). With its active engagements with CIPL Advisory Council, IAPP, Regulatory engagement groups, and other Privacy community groups, Teleperformance understands the regulations and proposes the changes that are required by each country.

Bottom line: With this continuous capability enhancement, Teleperformance is using its security and data privacy expertise to continue to lead in the CX BPO market.

Teleperformance takes its role as the leading provider in this space by revenues and headcount very seriously.  While it is in part a competitive differentiator, Teleperformance also aims to lead the competition by example; a serious breach in cybersecurity for any BPO provider would be tremendously damaging to the entire industry’s perception.  Work from home is not going anywhere any time soon, and these capabilities by service providers are a critical element of ensuring the business continuity and competitiveness of their clients – and their own business.