You must appoint a DPO on a mandatory basis if you meet any of the following 3 conditions: (1) Where the processing is carried out by a public authority or body; (2) Where the “core activities” of the Data Controller or Data Processor consist of processing operations which require regular and systematic monitoring” of data subjects on a “large scale”; or (3) Where the “core activities” of the Data Controller or Data Processor consist of processing on a “large scale” of “special categories of personal data” or data relating to criminal convictions and offences.  You can appoint a Data Protection Officer on a voluntary basis to give your organisation and its stakeholders added assurance and to also further demonstrate and meet accountability requirements under the UK GDPR.  A Data Protection Officer can be a member of staff or an appointed 3rd party retained on a service contract.

Whilst not always a full-time role, DPOs are required to be independent and have specialist data protection expertise. If the role of the IT Manager conflicts with the DPO’s role (which it often does), or they do not have the correct level of Data Protection knowledge and expertise then the IT Manager would not be deemed appropriate for the role of DPO.

You will benefit from external and independent advice free from any conflict of interest. This will be given by dedicated industry professionals who have specialist knowledge and professional experience. You will be allocated a main point of contact who takes day to day responsibility for this role and is supported by other specialists within our team. Furthermore, External DPOs can make use of their best practice experience from other companies for your organisation’s benefit, creating a synergy effect all whilst being more cost effective than recruiting in house.

Having a framework or standard to work against allows a concise and clear methodology of handling a process, for example Quality control or Information security. They provide employees and stakeholders with the understanding and reassurance that the process is being handled in an appropriate and guided way.

Depending on the size of your organisation this process can take, on average, between 3 and 6 months.

With networks and business environments getting larger and more complex spotting abnormalities can be a difficult task. SIEM software, and the analysts that use it, can filter through copious amounts of logs, traffic, and raw information to discover malicious activity before it causes damage. In short, it can save you time, money, and prevent financial and reputation damage.

A Penetration Test, also known as a pen test or ethical hacking, describes the authorised assessment of computer networks, systems and applications performed to evaluate and identify potential threats and address security weaknesses.

The main aim of penetration testing is to identify technical vulnerabilities in IT and

communications systems that could leave your organisation open to attack should they be exploited by a potential threat actor – from a disgruntled employee or casual hacker to a state sponsored cybercriminal. Once identified, these weak points within a network infrastructure, application or even business logic can be remediated to strengthen your overall security posture. Regular penetration testing should form a core part of your security strategy.

Repeated penetration tests can be costly, and the knowledge required to filter through and understand the data results from automated scanners is not always available in-house. Ideally, penetration testers and automated scanners work together to discover and exploit issues, with all issues being followed up by an experienced tester to verify possible impact and business risk. Bruce & Butler’s Ongoing Testing service combines continuous vulnerability scanning with regular penetration testing activity to enable your internet-facing attack surface to be continually tested for vulnerabilities. This allows you to move fast, but stay secure.