What is a DPO and when do I need one?

DPO is the abbreviation for Data Protection Officer. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European privacy legislation that in some cases requires you to employ a DPO. Below is an overview that helps you determine if you need a DPO.

*Attention: there may be specific rules for your specific sector regarding the appointment of a DPO.

DPO as a Service

DPO as a Service is a service I offer where you can hire me as your DPO for a limited number of hours per week or per month. I will be happy to advise you on the appropriate number of hours based on your needs and compliance level. Of course you ultimately decide how many hours you wish to hire me.

Registering as DPO

If you choose to hire me as your DPO, I can take care of registering myself as your DPO with the Dutch Data Protection Authority.

Benefits of DPO as a Service

Below is an overview of the benefits of hiring a DPO externally versus an internally (employee who is appointed as a DPO).

Disadvantages of hiring an INTERNAL DPO

The start-up time can be longer when the employee is busy making the new tasks as a DPO part of their daily tasks
The organization will, in principle, have to invest a lot in training (including staying up-to-date)
A DPO must be independent. This can be difficult if the employee has to be able to criticize freely
An employee such as DPO is legally protected against dismissal
In most cases you do not need a full-time DPO, but you are still paying for one

Benefits of hiring an EXTERNAL DPO

The right expertise can be deployed immediately. That saves time.
You don't have any additional training costs
In consultation, you can flexibly deploy the DPO
The DPO only has 1 task: to protect the data!
The external DPO is independent, unbiased and impartial
An external DPO can use and share their best practices from having experience at various companies in various sectors

Would you like more information about DPO as a Service?

Please do not hesitate to contact me to request more information or to discuss your DPO needs.