Have you thought about how much data flows through your business? Most businesses keep stock records and business accounts, but there is also a lot of data about people. You may have data about employees, customers, suppliers and subcontractors. There will also be data about many other stakeholders with whom your company interacts. The majority of the data used by your company will be stored electronically, and that can create legal concerns. Data that is stored electronically can be covered by GDPR and may require the presence of a Data Protection Officer at your company. A Data Protection Officer will have responsibility for the data protection strategy of the entire company and ensure that you remain fully compliant with GDPR.
Who can be a Data Protection Officer?
Legally anyone can be designated as your company DPO, but that doesn't mean anyone would be a good DPO. Understanding the complexities of data protection and how the processes used by your company relate to the law isn't always easy. Arranging for Data Protection Officer training can ensure that your new DPO is fully equipped to take on their role and that nothing important will be missed, so you don't have to worry about serious legal problems.
What will Data Protection Officer training teach?
The first thing that DPO training will identify is whether a Data Protection Officer is needed. The training will explain the type of data covered by GDPR. Whether the data falls under GDPR can depend on several factors including the geographical spread of the data and how long the data is being stored. The Data Protection Officer training will equip the new DPO to educate all the relevant employees within your organisation on how to deal responsibly with all the data they process. The DPO will learn how to maintain records of all the data processing procedures throughout the company. They will see how to audit the compliance of all employees to ensure that all responsibilities relating to GDPR are met.
The trainee DPOs will also learn how to interact with the subjects of the data. They will learn how to explain to them how the data is used and what rights they may have regarding how long and how the data is stored.
Finding a Data Protection Officer training company
If you want someone at your company to start DPO training, look for a well-established company with proven experience in training people in industries similar to yours. Any training company you choose must demonstrate that their training will be directly relevant to your existing business practices and company structures.
