New data protection laws

By LBV

06 Apr 2010

Our mountains of business data seem to swell with geometric rates and for most of us that information contains personal information about our customers.

This means our responsibilities and obligations to protect that information as covered in the Data Protection Act become ever more important.

As well as legal powers to ensure that organisations comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act, from April 6th 2010 the Information Commissioner's Office will have new powers to issue monetary penalties.

Organisations could face fines of up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act.

The majority of businesses I have worked with take the issue of Data Protection seriously. Often, however, their Data Protection policies lack full coherence and do not fully cover the eight principles on which the Data Protection Act is based.

An example of this is a familiar story whereby I visited a business to provide consultancy surrounding their Data Protection Policy.

I was taken to a small computer room and proudly shown a new firewall and network protection appliance that had cost a few thousand pounds and was indeed a great piece of hardware to protect their infrastructure.

During my visit I saw staff coming and going with laptops and questioned what information was stored on those laptops only to find out that data contained customer personal details – and was therefore covered under the Data Protection Act – was being stored and taken off-site.

This information was being stored without encryption and could easily have been read by a third party if the laptop had been stolen.

A quick look at the Information Commissioner's Office website reveals that many of the enforcement notices given to businesses large and small surround data being taken off-site in this way via laptop, optical disk media or USB storage devices.

There are many ways to provide total data security with all the technology available today without huge capital expenditure. The many services provided by using cloud computing enhance these options further.

However it's also very important to make sure that your staff are aware of their obligations and for any business to review their Data Protection Policy as a whole including the handling of data electronically or on paper.

Dave Clarke, Love I.T
 

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

MHA lists on AIM for £271m Rakesh Shaunak MHA Retouch

MHA lists on AIM for £271m

15 Apr 2025

2

164-home golf course development drives ahead Ingol plans by Northern Trust

164-home golf course development drives ahead

14 Apr 2025

3

Green light for £24m village development Applethwaite Grimsargh site

Green light for £24m village development

14 Apr 2025

4

Homebuilder unveils Clayton-le-Woods development Wain Homes site

Homebuilder unveils Clayton-le-Woods development

14 Apr 2025

5

Blackpool Grand’s restoration project is a triumph Blackpool Grand exterior

Blackpool Grand’s restoration project is a triumph

14 Apr 2025

Pc Prestonmacan Gif980x120 March
Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200px 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

Pure Leisure Group to Host Job Fair as Part of Recruitment Drive
sllv ext 66.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
23 Apr 2025 - 23 Apr 2025

Pure Leisure Group to Host Job Fair as Part of Recruitment Drive

South Lakeland Leisure Village, Carnforth, LA5 9RN

09:00 - 17:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
24 Apr 2025 - 24 Apr 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: April
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
25 Apr 2025 - 25 Apr 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: April

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

People Power: Exclusive Event Series
Stay ahead in 2025.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
29 Apr 2025 - 29 Apr 2025

People Power: Exclusive Event Series

People's History Museum, Manchester, M3 3ER

17:00 - 21:00

Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes
Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes for website.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
01 May 2025 - 01 May 2025

Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes

Stanley House Hotel, Mellor, Blackburn, BB2 7NP, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

08:00 - 10:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more Lbv121 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin