Enderun Colleges is teaming up with Evident Communications to hold a summit on data privacy this month amid the rising demand for data protection officers.
A DPO is in charge of overseeing and implementing the data protection strategies of businesses and organizations.
The Data Privacy Summit 2018 will gather top DPOs in the country led by former commissioner Damian Mapa of the National Privacy Commission on Aug. 24.
“I see a lot of summits where there are experts talking, and people who know the law, and that’s well and good, but I think the differentiator of this summit is that there are DPOs who have actually done the work that are going to be on stage talking,” said Mapa.
The country’s data privacy landscape has significantly improved with landmark laws implemented locally and globally. The challenge for companies, however, is to hire qualified DPOs to implement their privacy measures.
“Often, the biggest challenge for firms is finding a qualified DPO. The International Association of Privacy Professionals estimated that we’ll need about 75,000 DPOs globally just right after GDPR took effect,” said Mapa, referring to the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union.
In the Philippines, an organization that handles personal data is required to appoint a DPO, conduct a privacy impact assessment, implement a privacy management system, deploy data protection policies and exercise breach reporting procedures. Failure to comply can result in heavy fines, loss of revenue, loss of reputation and even imprisonment.
“On top of that, it is crucial for companies to arm their DPOs with progressive training and the right technologies. If they get this right, the competitiveness of their companies increases significantly, and they have better chances attracting customers and increasing their revenues. In today’s data-driven economy, privacy has become the proxy for trust,” said Mapa.
“The Philippines processes a massive amount of data because of the many BPOs, global in-house centers and technology companies servicing almost every continent, including countries covered by GDPR. Complying with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 is signal to other countries that they can trust us with their data; that they will receive adequate protection similar to what they are receiving in their home countries,” Mapa said.
The upcoming summit aims to bring first-degree advisory, analyses, and insights by seasoned data privacy professionals who have designed laws, overseen rules and regulations and implemented compliance locally, regionally and internationally. The speakers will come from data-intensive sectors such as education, healthcare, and business process outsourcing.
“This summit is the first step of a larger offer of certification, of managed services, of consulting, and we hope that being a pioneer in it will set our partnership up as real knowledge leader and we want to take responsibility for making sure that this part of the Philippine economy is protected,” said Paul Bograd, chairman of Evident Communications.