Many recruitment firms are now realising that, not only is it often cheaper and easier to outsource IT, it also improves workforce efficiency and customer service.

We all have our own key skill sets: some things we are great at and some things not so.

The best recruiters are tenacious, resilient, energetic and people–focussed. These characteristics don’t often go hand–in–hand with being passionate about office admin.

With the introduction of the new data protection legislation, GDPR, in May this year, strong and secure data management and administration is going to be just as important for keeping you in business as a charismatic team of recruiters and finding great candidates. This is just one of the reasons why it makes sense to think about outsourcing your IT to specialists who can look after your data and make sure you are compliant.

Recruitment firms are particularly impacted by GDPR – to help you, here is a list of what you need to know:

• Candidates must give explicit consent for the processing of their data
• They can withdraw consent for further processing
• They must be notified of a data breach
• You must be able to tell them how their data will be used
• They can request their data be transferred to another organisation
• They can ask for incorrect data to be amended
• They can ask an organisation to erase all personal information

Without the right security, a data breach is likely because recruitment databases and systems are attractive targets. For the best recruiters, this is particularly bad, because your brands are built on reputation. Candidates and clients expect you to be discrete and keep their information safe.

When you choose to outsource, you gain a team of security experts at your disposal who can spot vulnerabilities, block threats and report anomalies. With these specialists on your side, having to worry about and report data breaches won’ t be a problem.

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The alternative to outsourcing is hoping for the best (not advisable) or owning your own equipment and hiring and retaining the expensive, skilled staff to manage it and ensure security, efficient operations and compliance yourself.

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Many recruitment firms are now realising that, not only is it often cheaper and easier to outsource IT, it also improves workforce efficiency and customer service.

One outsourcing function which is readily available to help recruiters to do their job is workforce mobility. Yes, recruiters can already work from any location or at any time to meet their targets, but can they access the correct files they need immediately and securely on any agreed device and collaborate with other members of the team? Can senior leadership be confident that they are only accessing and downloading the information they should be? This can all be achieved to a high standard by outsourcing to the right provider.

Another great benefit is business continuity. Many recruitment firms still don’t have an adequate crisis plan for if their systems go down or they lose their data. Outsourcing this aspect of tech means that your reputation and profits are always safe. Whether you lose one important file due to human error or everything in an unavoidable disaster, the whole works – including your data, system and communications – can be back up and running within a pre-agreed acceptable time.

This can save hours or days of downtime and the loss of priceless information it could take years to recover from. Research show that 60% of SMEs who lose their data will be forced to shut down within six months as they suffer from a lack of productivity as they try to recoup it. The good news is 78% of SMEs are predicted to be backing everything up by 2020.

The alternative to outsourcing is hoping for the best (not advisable) or owning your own equipment and hiring and retaining the expensive, skilled staff to manage it and ensure security, efficient operations and compliance yourself. This involves initial outlay, time, effort and constant funds which aren’t required with outsourcing as the supplier continually updates and manages software for you.

Outsourcing typically involves just a regular monthly payment, to benefit from a wealth of functionality, the latest technology and the top skills in the marketplace.

We work with a lot of recruiters who have decided to make the transition and have found time and time again that they are paying the same or less for far more functionality.

Further Information

• Find out more about IT for recruitment consultancies
• Explore our managed infrastructure services
• See how recruitment firms have benefited from working with us
• More about Blue Saffron
• Contact us