As AI-powered tools and cloud-first platforms reshape how we handle customer interactions, the question of data ownership in the contact centre has never been more pressing. With the shift to public cloud CCaaS platforms and the rapid rise of AI, contact centre data is no longer just operational. It has become a strategic asset. This blog explores the intersection of Contact Centre as a Service and Security, examining who truly owns customer data, how responsibility is shared between vendors and enterprises, and what organisations must do to maintain control, trust, and compliance in a cloud and AI driven world.
It Is Your Data, Or Is It?
We are in the middle of a significant transition. Legacy on premises contact centres are being replaced by cloud based CCaaS platforms, while artificial intelligence is unlocking deeper insight from every customer interaction. Voice recordings, chat transcripts, sentiment analysis, and behavioural data is now captured, processed, and stored at scale.
This evolution raises an important question that many organisations have not fully addressed. Who actually owns the data in the contact centre? Most enterprises assume the answer is simple. It is their customer, their interaction, and therefore their data. In practice, the answer is more complex, especially when public cloud infrastructure, AI services, and third-party vendors are involved.
Data in the Cloud: With Convenience, Comes Complexity
The move to cloud contact centres has delivered clear benefits. Platforms from Genesys, Zoom, Cisco, and NiCE offer rapid deployment, global scalability, and access to advanced digital and AI driven capabilities. These platforms make it easier to add channels, enable remote agents, and introduce analytics without heavy upfront investment.
However, when contact centre data moves into the public cloud, ownership and control become less visible. Customer data may be processed across multiple services including call routing, workforce optimisation, quality management, and AI analytics. Data may also be stored in different geographic regions depending on platform architecture and customer configuration.
Most CCaaS providers position themselves as data processors, while the enterprise remains the data controller. In theory, this means the organisation retains ownership. In reality, maintaining that ownership depends on contracts, governance, and technical controls. Without clarity, enterprises risk losing visibility into how their data is stored, processed, and retained.
AI Is Expanding Access to Data
AI has fundamentally changed how contact centre data is used. Speech analytics, real time agent assistance, automated summaries, and predictive routing all rely on large volumes of customer data. This has created unprecedented visibility into customer conversations and agent performance.
At the same time, it means more data is being consumed by AI engines, often running in public cloud environments. The growth of generative AI has accelerated this trend, making it easier to extract insight from unstructured data such as voice and text. While this delivers clear value, it also raises concerns around consent, transparency, and reuse of data.
Leading CCaaS vendors are increasingly clear about how AI models interact with customer data. Genesys, for example, states that customer data remains the property of the customer and is used only to deliver contracted services. Even so, organisations must actively define how AI is used, what data is included, and how long that data is retained.
Security Is a Shared Responsibility
Security is a central pillar of data ownership. In a cloud contact centre, security operates under a shared responsibility model. The vendor is responsible for securing the underlying infrastructure, while the customer is responsible for access controls, identity management, and data configuration.
This distinction is often misunderstood. If a misconfiguration exposes sensitive customer data, the accountability typically sits with the enterprise, not the vendor. Regulators and customers rarely differentiate between cloud provider and service owner when things go wrong.
This is why security must be designed into the contact centre from the outset. At Damovo, the TRACES team works with organisations to align CCaaS platforms with enterprise security frameworks. This includes identity and access management, monitoring, encryption, and integration with wider security operations. The goal is to ensure customers retain control of their data, even when the platform is cloud based.
Compliance Requires Ongoing Attention
Regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, CCPA, and emerging digital resilience regulations have placed data protection firmly on the executive agenda. Contact centres are particularly exposed because they handle large volumes of personal and sometimes sensitive information.
Compliance is not a one-time exercise. It requires continuous oversight of where data is stored, who can access it, and how it is processed. Cloud contact centre platforms offer tools such as data masking, audit logging, and retention policies, but these must be correctly configured and actively managed.
For contact centre leaders, compliance should be seen as part of overall data ownership. The ability to demonstrate control over customer data builds trust with regulators, customers, and partners. It also reduces risk as AI and automation continue to expand.
Taking Control of Contact Centre Data
Owning contact centre data is an active responsibility. Organisations need to take deliberate steps to maintain visibility and control as they adopt cloud and AI technologies.
This starts with understanding that data ownership is not a passive right, it’s an active responsibility. Here’s how I think you should get started.
- Review your vendor contracts. Who is the data controller? What clauses define portability and retention?
- If you haven’t already, map your data flows. Understand where customer data is created, stored and more importantly, processed.
- Engage with security and governance teams. Don’t let contact centre data line in its own silo.
- Monitor AI usage. Make sure your use of the AI model aligns with your ethical policies but more importantly, don’t violate privacy rules.
- Work with a partner who will understands both CCaaS and Security and will offer guidance and tailored support, like Damovo’s TRACES team.
Conclusion
Data is the foundation of the modern contact centre. As CCaaS and AI continue to evolve, the question of who owns that data becomes more important, not less. While cloud platforms and AI services offer powerful capabilities, they also introduce new risks if ownership and accountability are not clearly defined.
Contact centre leaders must take ownership of data governance, security, and compliance. By doing so, they can unlock the full value of AI and cloud technologies while maintaining trust with customers and regulators. If you own the customer experience, you should also own the data that powers it.
At Damovo, we help organisations navigate that complexity, bring together the power of our TRACES framework, our partnerships with Genesys, Zoom and Cisco, and a deep understanding of what security really means in the age of cloud and AI.
If you cannot clearly explain who controls your contact centre data, you have a governance gap. Book a short, no-obligation review with Damovo’s TRACES team to assess data ownership, AI Usage, and security responsibility across your CCaaS platform.
Because in the end, if you own the experience, you should own the data too.