Cascade HR’s software development manager Steve Patterson considers recent European Commission proposals that indicate the potential need for organisations to employ an assigned data protection officer…

“Last week Personnel Today reported that under reforms proposed by the European Commission, organisations employing over 250 staff will need to assign a data protection officer to ensure the security of staff and customers’ personal information.

It is anticipated that if agreed by the end of 2012 this requirement – plus the formation of a single set of data protection laws to replace the often contradictory rules followed by member states – will heighten the level of legislative clarity surrounding the topic and will increase the accountability of European organisations that process data.

There’s no denying that data protection is certainly a hot topic at the moment, but we must wait until the Commission, European Parliament and European Council agree a framework later in the year for final details about the reform.

In the meantime, the importance of a considered and robust approach to data security cannot be underestimated. At Cascade, we take our responsibility for ensuring the privacy of potentially sensitive client information and the protection of this data from loss, very seriously.

Time and again new clients or new self service users of our software will ask us about our approach to data protection, but we don’t shy away from their questions. A dedication to data security is culturally embedded into our organisation – something that is perhaps reflected in our recent achievement of Microsoft Gold partner status for our cloud solution – and we are always happy to explain the safety and security of our technology and our overall business approach. The Cascade team is even trained in disaster recovery, which means we are equipped with the skills to deal with the after-effects of a major data centre loss which could happen following a large server fire for example.

Not every organisation’s approach to data protection will be so multi-faceted, but we would recommend that the need to keep sensitive information private and secure is understood and respected by all staff within any company. The employment of an assigned data protection officer may help, but so too does a system that allows individuals to control their own personal data safely.”

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