IFT launches Fortitude compliance checks for regulated firms

Integrated Financial Technologies has launched IFT Fortitude, a compliance assessment service for organisations in regulated sectors.

The offering assesses whether internal customer support functions and outsourced business process providers comply with data security rules, privacy requirements, industry standards and regulatory mandates. It is targeting businesses in financial services, healthcare, merchant processing and government.

The programme covers both in-house teams and third-party providers. Assessments review contact centre systems, CRM integrations, firewalls, cyber security tools and customer-facing digital channels, along with operational areas such as workflows, business processes, data handling, record handling and reporting.

Vancouver-based IFT provides outsourced business processing services and back-office support across North America. Its compliance work has included hundreds of operational and compliance-related assessments for business customers.

Compliance checks

Recurring reviews are central to the new service. Businesses often do not realise their own departments or contracted teams may be operating outside regulatory requirements, even though responsibility for failures by authorised third parties still rests with the business.

The issue is especially acute in sectors where customer data passes through multiple systems, suppliers and teams. In retail payments, for example, companies that accept card transactions are subject to PCI DSS standards and regular audits, yet breaches can still occur between annual reviews.

The service uses an AI-based platform for real-time quality assurance, agent monitoring, training, reporting and performance measurement. Those tools are intended to identify compliance gaps and recommend process changes.

The launch reflects a broader shift in compliance management as companies adopt more external service providers and new digital tools. Businesses in regulated sectors face increasing scrutiny over how customer data is handled across internal operations and outsourced functions, especially when several systems and vendors are involved.

Tod Chisholm, president of IFT, said many organisations discover broader compliance problems only after an assessment takes place.

"Many of the companies we work with are shocked to learn the extent to which their departments are bypassing compliance regulations, whether inadvertently or purposefully. Often employees or external teams simply don't understand the full implications of the mandates, or their systems and processes are not properly aligned," Chisholm said.

He added that regular reviews can also provide evidence that a company is maintaining an ongoing compliance programme rather than treating compliance as a one-off exercise.

"Regular assessments are instrumental in maintaining a successful, ongoing compliance program. Not only does it reveal any violations, but it documents that companies have taken a diligent approach and demonstrates ongoing and consistent adherence," he said.

Growing burden

For many companies, the challenge is that compliance requirements do not stay fixed for long. Regulatory rules, industry standards and internal operating models continue to change, while customer service operations increasingly rely on software integrations, remote teams and outsourced providers.

Analysts say that trend has made continuous oversight more important, particularly in sectors where sensitive personal data is processed as part of routine customer interactions. Financial services groups, healthcare providers and government-related organisations are among those managing a growing mix of AI tools, digital channels and third-party service arrangements.

Will Townsend, founder and chief analyst at LoneStar Advisory & Research, said those changes are making long-term compliance harder to maintain.

"Maintaining compliance in the long-term has become a greater obstacle for businesses that are trying to integrate new technologies and external resources into their operations, especially in regulated industries. Personal data touches more systems and personnel than ever before," Townsend said.

"As businesses in the financial services, government, and healthcare fields continue to rely on AI and outsourced providers, the problems associated with maintaining compliance becomes magnified. Compliance should now be approached as a continuous and multi-pronged effort, not an annual event. The ability to ensure that all systems and processes satisfy reporting, regulatory, and industry mandates should become a top priority," he said.