Compliance & Risks and The Irish Computer Society (ICS) today announced a partnership to offer comprehensive data protection training and auditing services to the wider Munster community. Those wishing to get data protection certification will now be able to do so without having to travel to Dublin. The agreement will also see the establishment of a Cork branch of the Association of Data Protection Officers (ADPO), where Data Protection Officers can network, share expertise and communicate information on the impending new data protection legislation.
The announcement was made today by Mr. Dara Murphy, Irish Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection at a breakfast briefing on Data Protection: Policies, Procedures and IT Security. The event was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork, and hosted by Smarttech, Compliance & Risks and ICS.
Pictured at the Data Protection: Policies, Procedures and IT Security breakfast briefing in Cork are: Ronan Murphy, CEO, Smarttech, Joe Skulski, CEO, Compliance & Risks, Dara Murphy, Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection and Lanre Oluwatona, Data Protection Officer, The Irish Computer Society
Commenting at the event, Mr. Dara Murphy, Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection said, "In this digital age, as a society and as individuals, we need to stand up and take the protection of personal data seriously. Organizations right across the public and private sectors need to develop their knowledge and competence in order to ensure compliance with data protection requirements and good practice in relation to the handling of personal data.”
Lanre Oluwatona, Data Protection Officer, Trainer & Consultant with the Irish Computer Society said “Recent surveys have shown that 52% of Data Protection breaches are caused by staff simply because they were unaware of their obligations. With fines of up to €250,000 per offence, poor data protection practices could result in serious financial and reputational damage to businesses. Having local access to a peer support network, professional advice and training is essential for business owners to protect their livelihoods.”
Commenting on the partnership, Alan Kelly, Head of Data Protection at Compliance & Risks said, “The need for greater data protection measures across all organizations continues to grow in complexity. ICS has developed a center of excellence for data protection training and, combined with our auditing and regulation repository, we now offer companies a comprehensive solution to their data protection requirements.”
Also commenting at the event, Ronan Murphy, CEO Smarttech, said “We can all see that the digital world brings enormous benefits, but it comes with a price. The Cyberspace is the subject of malicious activities and sophisticated threats, leaving businesses exposed and vulnerable. It is important that organizations learn how to secure their data, protect their business and stay compliant.”
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For further information, please contact Niamh Shanahan, +353 (0)21 435 1990, email: n.shanahan @ complianceandrisks.com.
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