When your company data requirements grow across different departments, it becomes less safe. Cybercrime proprietors target vulnerabilities in the system, putting all the meaningful information at risk.
A recent study in the UK established that cybercrime victims rose from 15% in 2015 to 25% in 2019. However, companies with more than 250 employees were the most affected. It led to over 87bn Euros, including damaged assets and financial penalties.
According to IBM, data protection is crucial in all organizations regardless of the implementation type. Firm owners and project managers can implement these solutions on-premises or cloud systems. The solutions help to get a clear view of unscrupulous behavior and investigate cyber threats. In addition, companies can enact any real-time control and ensure maximum compliance.
As a project manager, it is essential to know how data protection for project management looks. One should consider data protection before any project starts since it may impact the project.
What Information Needs Protection?
Projects have different requirements depending on their nature and their size. Project managers will need to obtain information about every person working on the said project. The information includes:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Identification number
- Online identification such as social media name
Most of this information will be stored and processed electronically and stored on online systems, making them vulnerable to unauthorized access.
The article provides the ten primary data security considerations that all project managers should consider when launching a new project.
Main Data Protection Factors to Consider When Setting up a New Project
Photo by Kevin Paster
The Most Preferred Data Protection Officer
All companies are likely to employ a data protection officer. The data protection officer plays a vital role in offering data security within the firm. The data protection officer should be your first contact person in case of any unfamiliar actions. Therefore, it is essential to identify who they are.
These professionals are answerable to any questions regarding data security or any other matter relating to data protection.
How to Conduct Data Privacy Impact Assessment
Any project that handles personal information should have a Data Privacy Impact Assessment. DPIA is a review of the information provided as part of the projects. The DPIA involves a lot of questions to understand the scale and scope of the risk.
How to Transfer Data Outside the EU
If the project involves the transfer of data to companies in the EU, it is essential to take note of the different requirements. It may be impossible to do it in some cases, especially when the receiving company does not have a good data protection system.
What Information Does the Privacy Notice Give?
It is essential to go through the firm’s privacy notice. Most companies have one for clients and staff. When you are in charge of the project, you should ensure that the project meets all the issues outlined in the privacy notice.
Get Information About Data’s Retention Policy.
Most projects entail the collection of large amounts of data and information. Most of these data comprise the personal data of clients and staff members. Therefore, it is essential to take note of the period in which you can keep the data before destroying it. One can find this information in the Data Retention Policy.
What is the Impact of Portability Rights?
Data protection grants several rights to people whose data has been captured. One of the said rights is portability. As the project manager, you need to ensure that the task’s actions can still meet one’s right to port the data to another place.
Is Profiling Part of the Project?
Profiling may benefit certain companies that target a specific group of people. However, project managers need to be transparent about how profiling and automatic decision-making are done. In addition, staff and clients should know the logic behind the data processing.
Are You Utilizing Opt-In Forms?
When deploying any data protection mechanism, consent should be given freely with a high level of transparency. Websites should not have pre-ticked consent boxes on the consent forms. Instead, the staff and clients should tick the box themselves.
Is Data Available in Your New Software?
Most projects include a computerized system that allows adding of new information quickly. However, when you add any information to the system, it must be searchable. According to the data protection law, people have the right to ask for their data and find it.
What Risks Does the Data Protection Mechanism Have?
Your project should not put the business at any risk. However, it is essential to develop more stringent measures if it does so. As stated in the UK data protection laws, a lack of good data protection can lead to huge fines. It may also damage the company’s reputation.
Final Verdict
Data breaches can pose a significant risk to a project or the overall business. It can lead to huge losses. Therefore, it requires one to be vigilant in the data’s handling procedure. Adapting data management practices can help in protecting the information. You should also encourage and train workers on the best practices while handling sensitive data.
Author Bio: This article was written by Milica Vojnic of Wisetek. Wisetek is a global leader in IT Asset Disposition, Data Destruction Services & IT Reuse.
