Opt-4, the consultancy set up by two of the UK’s leading data protection experts Jenny Moseley and Rosemary Smith, is launching a course designed to show staff everything they need to know about data security and implementing the 8 principles of the Data Protection Act.
Timed to coincide with today’s European Data Protection Day (January 28), the course – dubbed DPA360 – is aimed at organisations of any size, though particularly employers with several hundred or more staff. BAFTA award winning P4 Films has animated the programme to ensure the key messages hit home.
Opt-4 has advised some of the UK’s biggest brands on data protection, security compliance and permission marketing and has trained thousands of staff in the practical application of the law.
Smith said: “Organisations now risk fines of up to £500,000 for breaches of the Data Protection Act. The latest official figures show that the number one cause of breaches is employee negligence. Four out of five companies caught breaching the Act had not trained their staff properly.”
Following the initial training course, DPA360 online testing ensures that everyone has grasped and memorised the essential training messages.
Finally, using a checklist completed by all relevant staff, it allows employers to conduct a live online data security audit, immediately highlighting any areas of risk.
DPA360 then prompts and tracks through to resolution any corrective action required. Designed to minimise the risk of highly damaging and expensive data breaches, it gives all staff a good grounding in sound data protection principles and data security.
Moseley added: “There is, of course, a strong commercial case for avoiding fines and reputational damage – and no one is immune from the threat of data loss. But DPA360 also covers the correct procedures for the collection of data. Collecting data without the correct permissions means it can’t be used. Get it right and that data becomes the lifeblood of the organisation and a genuine asset.”
More information on the course is available at http://www.opt-4.co.uk/dpa-360.aspx
