Appoint an outsourced Virtual Data Protection Officer

A Data Protection Officer is an intermediary between the company and its users, employees, and supervisory authorities in all matters related to personal data protection. The role of the officer is to oversee the company’s GDPR compliance, advise on the protection of personal data, and communicate with regulatory authorities and personal data subjects.

Data Protection Solicitors are not the same as Data Protection Officers. Data Protection Solicitors enforce data corrections and removals when companies or public bodies have made mistakes. They can also help individuals claim compensation when an organisation has had a data breach and an individual has suffered as a result of that breach. A Data Protection Officer will work with an organisation to try to prevent the need of Data Protection Solicitors being employed to defend or sue on grounds of privacy.

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‍Legal Nodes' DPO Oversight Essential Subscription services does not include data protection solicitor services or advice. Legal Nodes' DPO Oversight Essential Service offers the service of a Data Protection Officer who works with businesses to help avoid data breaches.

Depending on the type of data that an organisation is handling, Data Protection Officers are required by law to be operational in some organisations. Since its entry into force in 2018, Art. 37 of the GDPR laws require the designation of a Data Protection Officer in all companies that:

• carry out systematic monitoring and collection of data about individuals on a large scale. Examples include the provision of marketplace services, social networking services, systems for managing tasks or personal data collected by the company, tracking a person's geolocation, or targeting ads based on a person's profile; or
• collect and process in large volumes sensitive data, which include: health data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a person, genetic data, data about a person's sex life and sexual orientation, data on ethnic and racial origin, political, philosophical and religious beliefs and trade union membership, as well as data on criminal offences committed by a person.

When we talk to our customers, they tell us that we offer some of the best prices, for the most bespoke services, on the market. In other words, we make sure you understand what services you need, and we'll help you find a subscription that works for your business.

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Data Protection Officers in the UK and the European Union come with a costly annual subscription. Prices start at £500 for as little as two hours of support without actually moving towards GDPR compliance. We understand that for start-ups and SMEs, expensive monthly subscriptions (starting from £450) may be disproportionate to the needs of the business and unfeasible with smaller company budgets. Legal Nodes offers clients an affordable monthly DPO Oversight subscription with a flat-fee cost to cover the initial GDPR Roadmap. Our subscriptions are flexible, with an optional breakdown of the payment for GDPR work for the months that follow. This alternative approach allows you to optimise the costs of DPO services while maintaining compliance with the GDPR Art. 37 requirements and developing a detailed plan for further actions.

When a dedicated Data Protection Officer is assigned to your company, Legal Nodes is responsible for the screening and selection of a person, as well as for providing the methodology by which they should work. Data Protection Officers from Legal Nodes network are licensed or certified and have the necessary experience, which implies high standards of work. Violation of the latter may result in the revocation of the license/certification.

Yes. We involve DPOs on a sub contractual basis and sign appropriate NDAs with them. Additionally, we train them on how to follow necessary security precautions, so that the data remains safe while accessed by our platform.