Tag: data storage

There are many crucial factors involved in the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA). For compliance, it is imperative for organisations to fully understand all these factors and how they play out in the real world. Three of the crucial areas that must be discussed include de-identifying, information matching programmes, and filing systems.

The benefits of migrating into the cloud have long been evident. However, certain challenges have held the Financial Services Industry (FSI) organisations back from fully embracing the flexibility, agility and cost effectiveness of cloud-based solutions, particularly with regard to data storage.

The national lockdown forced a large contingency of the South African workforce to work from home and as it is somewhat of a new notion, it had its fair share of challenges. Yet recent studies have shown the shift to remote working has led to improved productivity for 29% of organisations.

Technology has permeated all facets of business. Today, it has become less about the bits and bytes and more about unlocking the efficiency of processes, improving the customer experience, and better understanding data to deliver on the company strategy.

This has been a year of disruption, confusion and now a new ‘normal’. COVID-19 is here for the foreseeable future, and that means humans need to adapt to new circumstances like Working from Home (WFH). Almost every industry has embraced this as an effective way of keeping staff safe, remaining operational and controlling costs during global economic downturn.

While the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) has been in effect for a while, most employers are still not grasping the far-reaching consequences the Act poses on how they collect, store and dispose of information. POPIA affects so many aspects of the business such as the information technology systems, customer processes and information handling practices. Therefore, POPIA cannot be ignored.

It’s safe to say the pandemic has sparked a record demand for tech products and solutions. Though business leaders have been talking about digital transformation for years, COVID-19 has been the catalyst for them to stop talking and start implementing.

In the modern world, data is regarded as the lifeblood of an organisation. Consequently, cyber threats have taught us that a reactive response to a data breach, regardless of the magnitude of the event, is no longer adequate. All data is important, therefore a more modern and innovative approach needs to be adopted to keeping it safe yet available.

Alongside with the International Advertising Association (IAA), we have released the two-volume set, Privacy Law: A Global Legal Perspective on Data Protection Relating to Advertising & Marketing. It is the first-ever guide to how privacy laws affect marketing and advertising around the world.

Mid-size enterprises are at a crossroads. To innovate and thrive in the current economy, they need to be able to rely on sound data management. But data storage solutions can be costly. It’s tough right now for businesses to find a silver lining amid the unprecedented social and economic upheaval. But as with any mega-world event, the current situation also presents opportunities that were not previously planned.