You may think it’s no big deal if your data is stolen. After all we regularly hear about one multinational corporation or another being hacked and none of them seem to suffer any huge problems because of it. And maybe the client data you hold doesn’t seem that sensitive. It’s just contact details and records of the work you’ve done for them. Then again, you may think that you’re small fry and nobody would bother hacking you or stealing your data.
The problem is, that as a smaller business your customers have a more personal relationship with you than they do with corporations. That makes the disappointment more personal, and the loss of trust more personal.
There has been a lot written lately about AI Solutions, an offshore call centre who is selling details of Optus, Telstra and Vodafone clients. I believe they are currently under investigation by the Australian Federal Police. If you think it’s only the databases of large corporations that are at risk, you’re being naive. Every time you give someone offshore access to your database, you’re exposing yourself to the risk that those details will be on-sold.
If you work with a local Virtual Assistant they will be bound by the same laws you are. So if there are any data breaches, whether caused deliberately or through carelessness, they can easily be dealt with by the Australian legal system. You’ll also find that local Virtual Assistants are already working under Australian laws and within current privacy legislation.
Working with a more local Virtual Assistant also gives you the opportunity to meet them face to face. Face to face meetings help build trust and give you the opportunity to get a feel for people you’re working with. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to not work with a Virtual Assistant just because they don’t give you a good feeling. There are plenty of us out there and unless you have serious trust issues, it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone you click with.
