So you’ve decided to outsource a data protection officer. Wise choice. This is a big upgrade for your business in terms of how you manage and secure your data. It’s also a decision that many other businesses are making due to recent regulatory changes and an overall increase in sensitivity of consumer and business stakeholders to data management vulnerabilities.
Here are the reasons why you have an outsourced data protection officer today.
1. Suitably skilled and experienced candidates are hard to find
It may be difficult (for SMEs in particular) to work with mid-tier audit firms and attract and keep this type of employee. The challenge will be to find an individual who is an expert in local and EU data protection law, has an in-depth understanding of the rules and regulations and holds supporting qualifications.
2. The cost may be too high
Not all organisations will need a full-time DPO and may find it difficult to justify the expense of recruiting and paying a senior staff member in this role, not to mention the investment into continuous training and appropriately resourcing the DPO. An outsourced data protection officer can be hired on an hourly or fixed-price basis and can be located remotely, on-site or a mix of both.
3. May not be able to meet the independence requirement by hiring in-house
It is required for the data protection officer to act in an independent manner. This means their employer cannot instruct them in doing their job, cannot fire or penalise them for doing their job and there must be no conflict of interests with other tasks and duties.
4. May be able to avail of other services offered by the external DPO
By outsourcing the role of DPO to an external public accounting firm, organisations can rely on the skills of a whole team of professionals rather than one single individual. These teams can provide specific advice on record keeping, documentation and privacy in areas such as IT, Direct Marketing and HR.
If you are looking for a data protection officer or a penetration test service to help you out, visit our website today.
