The growing significance of
digital transformation has led
to a surge in the number of
Chief Digital Officers (CDO) in
European businesses.
Research by Claranet
shows that 95% of mid-
market businesses in the UK,
Germany, Benelux, France,
Spain and Portugal have a
digital strategy. Of these,
15% are now led by a CDO,
compared to 6% 12 months
ago.
Digital strategies are still
most likely to be led by a
Chief Technology Officer (34%)
or Chief Information Officer
(29%), but the rise of the
CDO suggests that there is
a growing appetite for digital
transformation to have distinct
representation at board level.
Andy Wilton, CIO of
Claranet, said: “The fact that
we are seeing a broad split
in leadership between CTOs,
CIOs, and now the growth
in CDOs, demonstrates
the different approaches
organisations are taking
toward digital transformation.
It is also indicative of a
changing IT department where
traditional roles are becoming
more hybridised.”
He suggests that instead
of focusing on increasing
operational efficiencies
and delivering stable IT
performance – the traditional
CIO priorities – the role of
IT today has much more
strategic significance.
Digitisation creates new role for CDOs
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Data Protection
Officer shortage
must be addressed
Seven thousand Data
Protection Officers will
be needed in the UK by
May 2018 in order to
comply with new EU data
protection rules, regardless
of Brexit, warn GO DPO and
Henley Business School.
GO DPO, the strategic
partner for the Henley Data
Protection Officer (DPO)
Programme, estimates
that around 7,000 large
companies (employing in
excess of 250 employees)
will need to recruit and
train at least one DPO
each before the EU General
Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR) comes into force on
25 May 2018.
Darren Verrian,
CEO of GO DPO, said:
“This headline figure of
7,000 DPOs isn’t a wild
exaggeration; if anything,
it is an under-estimate of
the actual requirement, as
many banks and insurance
companies employ more
than one senior manager
to fulfil the requirements
of a DPO whose role can
involve handling millions
of customer and client
accounts.”
He added: “Our
conservative calculations
are based on figures
published by the BIS at
the end of last year and
exclude 33,000 medium-
sized companies that
employ 50-249 employees,
many of which will also
need to appoint a DPO. Not
all companies will want to
employ an in-house DPO,
but will opt for a third party
provided DPO managed
service. However, these
independent contractors will
also need to be trained.”
Henley Business School
has responded to demand
for senior manager training
by launching its own
Executive Education DPO
Programme. Readers can
get a sneak preview of the
course at
Most small and medium sized
businesses (SMEs) are still
unsure about the impact of the
EU’s General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR), which was
adopted in April 2016 and
takes effect within two years.
In the latest Close
Brothers quarterly survey of
UK SME owners and senior
management, 82% have either
not heard of GDPR or don’t
understand its impact; a
further 14% say they will need
to take further advice.
Only 4% of SMEs say they
understand the legislation and
are clear about the effect GDPR
will have on their business.
Ian McVicar, managing
director of Close Brothers
Technology Services, said:
“GDPR is one of the most
significant and anticipated
pieces of legislation conceived
in the EU in recent years.
These results demonstrate
that there is a clear lack of
understanding at all levels and
across all sectors.”
To help businesses prepare
for GDPR, Close Brothers
Technology Services is
working with International
Data Corporation (IDC)
and developing a series
of business guides on the
subject. The first of these,
Technology Solutions to the
GDPR Challenge
, is available
for download from the new
Close Brothers Technology
Services website.
.
co.uk
AIIM updates CIP certification
AIIM, the association for information management professionals, has
updated and relaunched its Certified Information Professional (CIP)
certification for the first time since 2011 to reflect the changing role
of the information professional in an era of digitisation.
Peggy Winton, interim president of AIIM, said: “The ‘perfect
storm’ of change driven by consumerisation, cloud, mobile and the
Internet of Things has changed the way we view information and it
has changed the skills we need to get the best value from it. We
have looked at CIP and updated it to more accurately define the
body of knowledge necessary for information professionals to be
successful in today’s digital economy.”
AIIM has built a certification and test for the new CIP, available
at locations around the world, as well as a set of training courses
and materials to help information professionals prepare for the
examination.
A free AIIM eBook,
Information Professionals: Where We Came
From and Where We’re Going
, looks in more detail at the new role of
the Information Professional and includes information on becoming
AIIM Certified.
I NFORMATI ON
PROFESSIONALS:
WHERE WE CAME FROM
AND WHERE WE’
'RE GOING
by
JohnMancini,
ChiefEvangelist,AIIM
Andy Wilton, CIO, Claranet
Ian McVicar
Peggy
Winton
Only 4% of SMEs understand impact of GDPR
