AS a firm, Hawsons have been looking at some of the ways in which technology may affect the charity sector over the next 12 months and how that may impact on charities’ own risk management strategies.
With a number of hacking scandals dominating the press last year, data security will continue to rank highly on charities’ agendas in 2017. With new data protection mandates being introduced, it is now a requirement for data to be held in a professional, managed and highly secure data store. Desktop virtualisation could prove to be very important, particularly as there are certain restrictions as to what is allowed to be printed outside of the work environment. Robust data security and cyber security systems are vital cogs in ensuring key information is protected from abuse and these procedures should be reviewed regularly.
While charities are preparing themselves for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, it is essential they do not overlook the ability to integrate data from a number of platforms and databases. It is important that data collected from websites, social media, events and mobile devices is all connected. This will ensure that relevant data can be tailored and targeted at individual donors and supporters.
Digital transformation can be seen by some as a cause of disruption affecting the day-to-day activities of an organisation. Charities should see digital transformation as an opportunity and seize upon the opportunities that present themselves in order to give prospective donors a clearer, more enhanced experience. Many charities are worried that the new opt-in rules requiring clear consent before people are added to their mailing lists will have a significant impact on their target lists. We have seen that some charities who embrace technology and focus on transparency are getting positive results from opt in campaigns.
Although on site IT services are still popular, cloud services are expected to to gain traction with charities in 2017. The opportunities for smaller charities are definitely they can reduce reliance on in-house IT expertise while also being able to increase security levels in line with new cybercrime initiatives.
One of the biggest strengths of the cloud is that it can be accessed from more or less anywhere, providing greater flexibility to its users. With digital transformation comes added data responsibility. This requires organisations to be digitally ready to handle the data and to ensure it is held efficiently and responsibly.
It is important to keep control of data in order to ensure that an audit trail is maintained. Computer systems need to be integrated to allow the free flow of data while ensuring that data is properly secured.
If you would like to discuss the impact of IT and data security requirements on your business, then please give David Owens a call on 01604 645600 or e mail