How will new Regulations coming into force in April 2010 impact on organisations that hold data?

On April 6^th, 2010 the Information Commissioner’s Office will have the power to enforce fines of up to £500,000 upon any organisation which seriously breaches the Data Protection Act. This will apply to the private, public and voluntary sectors and it is hoped that the new law will, in particular, give local authorities the impetus to radically overhaul their document management strategies.

Serious contravention includes failing to take adequate security measures resulting in the loss of personal data and losing records containing sensitive personal data following a security breach.

Many councils have unstructured systems for retaining information and will now have no option other than to review and audit the key areas of data storage such as email, the internet, paper storage and network storage. They will also have to put in place documented procedures for all forms of risk management including physical security.

Information overload is a growing problem for councils with storage requirements increasing by 53% and  storage costs by 20%. Compliance is often perceived as being costly but with the new level of fines and increasing storage costs, local authorities may now realise that by implementing a structured information management policy, money can actually be saved.

The IPC Group provide consultancy services in Information Management – for advice, please call 08081 45 46 47.