Tuesday 22 June 2010

Data Protection is common sense

By Robert May, Managing Director at leading IT solutions consultancy ramsac

With the holiday season finally here and numerous events and activities going on, the summer is a time of multiple distractions and this is particularly evident with this year’s World Cup. It is very easy to give less consideration to more the mundane but crucial business matters. Without giving too many football puns, it would be very easy to take your eye off the ball with regards to essential, but less visible concerns, such as the perennial consideration of data protection. However the penalties, be they legal, reputational or relational can be far reaching and potentially ruinous, particularly with the UK and worldwide economy looking to get back on its feet against significant odds.

The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out robust legislation with regards to the security of private sensitive data and gives a wide scope for penalties when organisations fail to meet the criteria. Whilst data protection is especially relevant for professional organisations and businesses, such as law firms or medical establishments, the onus is on all businesses to take appropriate steps and continually monitor the levels of security to maintain Quality Assurance integrity.

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