Cybersecurity for debt collection companies: the decisive criterion
Outsourcing debt collection is a strategic lever. But still too few companies assess the cybersecurity maturity of the debt collection agencies they hire. For CFOs and credit managers, however, this criterion is becoming crucial. Here’s a breakdown and best practices, based on the case study of GESTION CREDIT EXPERT, a debt collection company serving businesses since 1970.
Cybersecurity is no longer just about IT
Digital threats are multiplying and extending well beyond the internal perimeter of the enterprise. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2024 report highlights a worrying fact: data breaches involving third-party vendors are among the most costly and complex to detect.
According to the same report, cloud environments, often managed or co-managed by service providers, are involved in more than 80% of the breaches analyzed. This means that an insufficiently secure external service provider can become a gateway to your information system and your sensitive financial data.
Long considered a purely technical area, cybersecurity is now establishing itself as a key risk management variable under the direct responsibility of the CFO.
Debt collection agencies , which handle sensitive volumes of data every day (customer identities and identifiers, amounts owed, disputes, legal documents, etc.) , are also particularly exposed . A successful attack via one of these partners can contaminate your entire organization.
In this context, the cyber maturity of collection agencies becomes a non-negotiable condition for any responsible Financial Director or Credit Manager .
Why does a debt collection company’s cybersecurity directly concern CFOs and Credit Managers?
Entrusting your recovery to a third party means giving them access to sensitive information such as:
- Your debtor customer bases
- Confidential financial information
- Legal or sensitive documents
In the event of a breach, liability can be shared and your company’s reputation jeopardized. More and more finance departments are therefore incorporating cybersecurity as a key selection criterion, alongside success rates, speed of collection, and the level of service customization.
Cybersecurity risks in the context of outsourced recovery, concrete cases:
- Theft or leak of customer debtor data
- Identity theft via fake reminder emails
- Blocking activity in the event of ransomware on the service provider’s platform
Cyber risk is a financial risk . And just like currency, treasury, or credit risks, it must be modeled, budgeted, and managed.
CFOs and Credit Managers have a direct impact on the choice of secure suppliers : they validate or challenge external partners, particularly those handling sensitive data such as collection agencies.
They therefore become trusted players in the eyes of shareholders, customers, and partners. As such, they must impose high standards throughout the value chain, including among debt collection agencies.
How to make cybersecurity a selection criterion when choosing a debt collection company?
Integrating cybersecurity into a debt collection tender is no longer a bonus; it is an obligation for any responsible player.
Here are the main elements you can add to your evaluation grid:
- The level of audit or certification : has the debt collection agency been audited recently (CyberVadis, ISO 27001, etc.)?
- Data governance: Is it defined and formalized? Has a DPO been properly appointed? Who is responsible for cybersecurity?
- Details of internal security policies : Does it have a documented business continuity plan (BCP)? Has it formalized and defined a procedure in the event of a data breach?
- Data protection: what tools are used for data transfer, are the channels encrypted?
- Access management: are internal users authenticated and partitioned by role?
This requirement not only allows you to filter out fragile providers , but also to comply with your own regulatory obligations (GDPR, supplier audit, etc.).
A cybersecurity audit to objectify practices: the example of GESTION CREDIT EXPERT
At GESTION CREDIT EXPERT, we wanted to demonstrate our commitment to cybersecurity through an independent audit.
We were therefore assessed by CyberVadis , a rating platform specializing in analyzing the cyber maturity of companies according to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) standards.
A demanding cybersecurity assessment, meeting the current challenges of CFOs and Credit Managers
130 criteria were analyzed as part of the CyberVadis audit, ranging from security governance to access management, including employee training and incident response systems.
Each area was examined in depth, based on documented evidence.
CyberVadis result: a score of 856/1000 for EXPERT CREDIT MANAGEMENT
This score places GESTION CREDIT EXPERT among the most mature companies in terms of cybersecurity, with a performance well above the global average (654/1000).
Among the identified strengths:
- Privacy protection: 957/1000
- Data protection: 834/1000
- Business Continuity: 852/1000
- Third-party security: 1000/1000
- Compliance with regulations (GDPR, ISO 27001, etc.)
In other words: our safety management system is not only structured, but actively controlled.
Conclusion: Choosing a debt collection company also means choosing a cyber-resilient partner
Cyberattacks are no longer a probability. They’re a certainty with varying timelines. As a CFO or Credit Manager, you have a responsibility to prevent these risks by surrounding yourself with strong and secure debt collection partners.
The cybersecurity maturity of a debt collection company is no longer a detail: it is a strategic criterion
GESTION CREDIT EXPERT provides proof of this, with one of the highest scores in the sector, and governance aligned with the most rigorous standards.
Our high level of maturity ultimately reflects a strategic choice: that of investing in robust, documented and measurable cybersecurity .
At GESTION CREDIT EXPERT:
- Each debt collector is continuously trained in good digital reflexes
- Data access is partitioned and tracked
- Exchanges with our customers are secured via certified platforms
- Continuity and recovery plans are tested and operational.
This level of requirement has a simple objective: to protect our customers .
Because outsourcing your recovery does not mean outsourcing your risk.
Choosing a partner like us means securing your receivables, your data… and your reputation.
📩 Want to know more about our cyber strength? Let’s talk.