Outsourced Data Protection Officer Services UK

Not every organisation needs to appoint one but under the UK GDPR, you must appoint a DPO if your organisation:

• is a public authority or body (except for courts acting in their judicial capacity);
• as part of its core activities, it regularly and systematically monitors individuals on a large scale (for example, location-based services). An organisation’s core activities are its primary business activities. As such, if you need to process personal data to achieve a key business objective, this will be a core activity; or
• is processing special categories of data or data relating to criminal convictions and offences on a large scale.

A group of undertakings may appoint a single DPO, providing they can be easily accessed by each entity. A DPO does not have to be an individual, it can be a company or an organisation, too, meaning an organisation can outsource its DPO role to a third party.

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There are clear advantages to appointing externally or hiring internally. Ultimately, it requires taking a risk-based approach and balancing this against internal expertise, business objectives and budget, before committing either way. If you’d like more insight into GDPR accountability to support your current in-house DPO, then download our free guide to GDPR accountability.

As an outsourced DPO services provider, we see it from both sides. But if you do decide to hire internally, we also support in-house DPOs who often need a second opinion, extra resources or help because they have another role as well.

If you don’t already employ somebody suitably skilled and able to prioritise data protection over your business interests, then your options are to hire or use outsourced DPO services. Remember that a DPO role is one that upholds the rights of the data subject, and as such, is not appropriate for a Director to take on the DPO role as it creates a conflict of interest.​

• SMEs without the resources for a full-time hire
• Large organisations needing multi-jurisdiction support
• Startups building compliant data protection practices
• Businesses going through growth or transformation
• In-house DPOs who need additional support

Make sure that the organisation details:

• DPOs and the level of expertise
• Qualifications
• Experience within your industry
• Case studies and testimonial
• Assess their approach to compliance and risk management
• Make sure they are offering proactive support

A good DPO as a service provider should offer complete transparency. Look at whether they offer on-site visits, do they offer GDPR training for your employees? Finally, check for conflict of interest safeguards, and make sure they can offer completely unbiased guidance on your compliance.