In the modern business landscape, it’s crucial for businesses to pay close attention to how data protection is handled. With regulations like EU’s GDPR affecting businesses worldwide with full force, failure to comply with these regulations can result in the company facing some significant financial, legal, and reputational consequences.
This is why many companies appoint a specific data protection officer or DPO. This individual is responsible for ensuring that the company complies with all relevant data protection rules and regulations as well as protecting the company’s, employees, and customers’ data.
That said, appointing a DPO in-house can be fairly complicated. Due to the GDPR rule stating that there can’t be a conflict of interest between the DPO and the company as well as all the requirements and resources it takes to take on the job, many organisations have started appointing an outsourced DPO.
That way, they have less to think about and can give more of their time and effort to other aspects of managing the business. But if you’re still on the fence about whether or not it’s worth it to outsource your DPO, you’ve come to the right place.
An In-Depth Look at Outsourced DPOs
Before anything else, we first need to establish what an outsourced DPO is responsible for. In most basic terms, an outsourced DPO is there to handle all your data protection needs from A to Z.
With a DPO, you don’t have to focus on making sure you have all the appropriate compliance documents and that you are taking proper care of company data. Instead, the DPO does all of that for you, allowing you to spend your time and effort on other important aspects of a business.
Complying with GDPR is essential as noncompliance leads to some hefty repercussions. That’s why having an outsourced DPO can greatly benefit your company. And in the next section, we’ll explain a few of the key benefits you get from outsourcing your DPO.
3 Benefits of Outsourced DPO
There are many benefits that you may get from outsourcing your DPO. The biggest benefit is probably that you won’t have to think about data protection yourself. Instead, all things data protection will be handled by an expert who can also advise you and help you ensure that you’re compliant with GDPR.
When you outsource your DPO, you have more freedom with your company’s time and resources. This allows you to allot resources and time to all the other complicated aspects of running an organization while knowing that all your online practices are GDPR-compliant.
That said, the benefits of outsourcing DPO for your company extend much further than convenience. In this section, we’re looking at three more key benefits of outsourcing your data protection officer and why so many companies are doing this today.
No Conflicts of Interest
The GDPR clearly states that the DPO cannot be someone directly involved in the daily activities and management of an organisation. And when you employ an in-house DPO, it opens up many doors for conflicts of interest that may lead to trouble and complications down the line.
With an outsourced DPO, you don’t get the same conflict of interest. This is because outsourced DPOs are completely separate from the clients and companies they handle. That way, you get an impartial view of your company’s data protection practices and will instantly understand the ways you can improve upon them.
Access to Knowledge and Expertise
Unless you’ve spent years in data protection and compliance, chances are you don’t really know much about the industry. And in many cases, when we need access to new information, we head to the experts, the people who have spent the most time in the field and know it inside out.
So, when you start working with an outsourced DPO, you will have unlimited access to their knowledge and expertise. This allows you to get proper advice and recommendations on data protection that can prevent your business from being impacted in the future.
Extra Layer of Protection
If you’re quite business savvy and like to have your hands in everything, you probably know a thing or two about GDPR and how to stay compliant. However, remaining compliant with GDPR on top of running your business can lead you to miss out on the smallest of details that can have the biggest impact on your business.
When you work with an outsourced DPO, their main and only focus will be to ensure that your business is fully compliant, adding an extra layer of protection to your business.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to hiring an outsourced DPO for your business. From access to their knowledge and expertise to taking complete care of your company’s compliance, an outsourced DPO can really lift a lot of weight from your shoulders and protect your business from noncompliance with data protection laws and regulations.
So if you’re still on the fence about working with one, we recommend just speaking with a few to see if what they offer is something your business can benefit from.
