220-1102 Question 531
Single answerOutsourcing conceptsA small healthcare clinic hires a third-party company to provide after-hours help desk support for its employees. During the first month, clinic staff report that the outsourced technicians are closing tickets too quickly, escalating issues inconsistently, and asking users to share sensitive account details over email. The clinic's IT manager wants to improve service quality and reduce compliance risk without immediately terminating the contract. Which action should the IT manager take FIRST?
- A
Review and enforce the service-level agreement (SLA) and security requirements with the vendor, including escalation procedures and handling of sensitive data
- B
Give the outsourced technicians domain administrator privileges so they can resolve more tickets without escalation
- C
Move all after-hours support back to internal staff before investigating the complaints
- D
Tell employees to avoid contacting the after-hours help desk unless the issue is a complete outage
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question focuses on outsourcing concepts commonly tested in A+ Core 2, particularly vendor management, SLAs, escalation procedures, and data handling expectations. In real environments, outsourced IT support should be governed by a clear service-level agreement that defines response times, resolution targets, escalation paths, and security requirements. When a vendor mishandles support requests or requests sensitive information improperly, the customer organization should first use the contract and documented policies to enforce corrective action. This aligns with common best practices in IT service management and security governance: define responsibilities, monitor performance, require least privilege, and ensure sensitive data is handled according to organizational policy and applicable regulations. In a healthcare setting, improper requests for account details can also create privacy and compliance concerns, making formal review of vendor obligations especially important.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In an outsourcing arrangement, the first step is to review the existing contract terms, especially the SLA, scope of work, escalation matrix, and security/privacy requirements. The reported issues involve performance quality and improper handling of sensitive information, so the IT manager should address these with the vendor using documented expectations and corrective actions. This is the most appropriate first response because it targets both service delivery and compliance concerns without making unnecessary operational changes.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Granting domain administrator privileges would increase risk and violate the principle of least privilege. Outsourced support staff should receive only the minimum access needed to perform their duties. Poor ticket handling and improper requests for sensitive information are process and governance problems, not a reason to expand privileged access.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Bringing support back in-house may eventually be considered, but it is not the best first step. The clinic already has a vendor relationship in place, and the IT manager should first evaluate whether the vendor is failing to meet contractual and security obligations. Immediate termination or insourcing without review may be disruptive and more costly.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Restricting employees from using the help desk does not solve the underlying outsourcing problem. It reduces support availability and shifts the burden to users rather than correcting vendor performance. This also undermines the purpose of outsourcing after-hours support.