Data protection: External commissioner helps

When the legal framework changes, old familiar contexts often receive new attention.

When the legal framework changes, old familiar contexts often receive new attention. This is also currently the case with the topic of data protection and data security. The uncertainty about what will become the applicable regulation on 25 May 2018 with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) is generating new interest. In the process, data protection is not being reinvented, but merely the provisions on the appropriate handling of risks are being updated.

For companies, the main thing is that they must be more aware of their own actions - and provide suitable protection and defence measures where risks lurk. These are tasks that fall to the data protection officer in companies with more than ten employees. In principle, they are faced with the alternative of appointing an internal employee or using the services of a so-called external data protection officer.

But who is optimally familiar with the data protection regulations?

A company like EIKONA Logistics, which processes around 210 terabytes of data in its data centres for business-critical applications of its national and international customers, employs specially trained experts for this purpose. "Via our IT platforms, we move around 180 million data sets per year", explains EIKONA Logistics data protection officer Björn Holeschak. As a system house, EIKONA Logistics provides its customers with the necessary IT infrastructure for their business processes, for example with virtual servers and desktops. "Virtualise it - show it", EIKONA Logistics calls the product, in short: VISiT. Behind this is the operation of servers and desktops that are not physically located in the customer companies, but in large, far more powerful devices in EIKONA Logistics data centre.

"This allows us to minimise the operational risks of the systems and ensure maximum security with comprehensive technical measures," reports Björn Holeschak. A technical monitoring system monitors all systems around the clock. "Of course, we have a comprehensive process understanding of the required data flows as well as the stakeholders involved due to the many years of cooperation with our customers," explains the data protection officer and adds: "We work together with specialist lawyers on complex legal issues."

EIKONA Logistics now makes this bundled knowledge available to companies in the region for a small monthly fee. After a kick-off audit, Björn Holeschak and his team take over the responsibility for all data protection issues upon request - and company bosses can again be sure to comply with all applicable regulations.