NSQ 2 digital - Flipbook - Page 28
Nearshore Services
and Certifications
The market's quiet new standard
By Luis Ramírez
For years, many companies evaluated
service providers primarily based on two
variables: cost and technical capability. That
approach worked as long as outsourced
operations occupied a relatively peripheral
place within the organization. That landscape
has changed.
Today, service providers—especially in
nearshore models—participate directly in the
operational architecture of many companies.
They are involved in administrative,
technological, and financial processes, and in
many cases they have access to sensitive
information or internal client systems. When
that level of integration emerges, the criteria
for selecting providers also change.
The conversation moves beyond efficiency
or price alone. It begins to include
governance, regulatory compliance, and risk
management.
Various studies on supplier management
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Digital Edition
MARCH 2026
indicate that more than 80 percent of large
companies actively evaluate the regulatory
compliance of their providers before initiating
a business relationship. These assessments
typically include information security
practices, operational controls, data
protection policies, and organizational
management standards. This shift is not
accidental. It reflects a growing trend: the
increasing relevance of third-party risk within
corporate operations.
Research on cybersecurity incidents shows
that a significant share of security breaches
involve suppliers or third parties with access
to corporate systems. In some international
analyses, these cases account for more than
half of the incidents recorded within complex
organizations.
When a provider becomes part of a
company's technological or administrative
ecosystem, its security practices, internal
processes, and organizational structure
effectively become part of the client's control
system. In practical terms, the provider
ceases to be an external actor. It becomes an
operational extension of the company.
