ompanies in every sector and across every part of the UK rely on data to sell
Ctheir products and services, innovate and interact with customers.
But it’ s not just businesses that are finding new ways of using data to boost performance or solve difficult challenges. In politics, we’ re becoming ever more reliant on data insights to design policy and benchmark outcomes.
Today political debates are as likely to focus on the particular datasets being used as the principle of the policy being discussed.
Similarly, in sport, not a Saturday passes without football fans being bombarded with an array of statistics on pass completion, distances run and aerial duels won, amongst other measurables.
Athletes and teams utilise huge sets of performance data to try to secure a competitive edge over their opponents. Cycling coach Dave Brailsford’ s“ aggregation of marginal gains” theory may have done more than anyone else to professionalise and popularise this approach.
This has all led to situation where, as a society, we have never been more aware of the impact, benefits and, occasionally challenges, of largescale collation, storage and use of data.
In fact, UK consumers actually top the list when it comes to using technology in our daily lives.
Responsible for 11.5 per cent of all data transferred internationally, the UK is the world leader when it comes to cross border data flows.
But with three quarters of this data transfer taking place between the UK and EU, ensuring that we can continue to transfer data easily, safely and securely postBrexit is going to be a major priority.
Key drivers of success
To ensure we retain our status as a global leader in the field, we need to focus on two key drivers of success.
Firstly we need to get better at how we protect data here in the UK and to do so in a way that consumers can trust. The fast approaching, and much discussed, General Data Protection Regulation( GDPR) should greatly help in achieving that goal.
Secondly we need to think internationally and make it as easy as possible to share data with countries that meet the high standards that we enjoy.
With EU negotiations on the horizon, it is good that business and the UK government are on the same page when it comes to delivering a framework that secures the free flow of data. But our challenge will also be to get the EU on board.
There are various options on the table to ease concerns around the free flow of data, but the business community is clear that the
With EU negotiations on the horizon, it is good that business and the UK government are on the same page when it comes to delivering a framework that secures the free flow of data. But our challenge will also be to get the EU on board.
best option is for the EU Commission to validate the adequacy of UK standards.
An“ adequacy decision " would mean that the UK would be formally recognised as having the same high data standards as other European countries.
This provides legal certainty for firms of all sizes and helps smooth the way for data transfers across the world.
Without an adequacy decision, we risk jeopardising UK competitiveness and this could have a direct impact on both businesses and consumers.
To illustrate, imagine this scenario. You own a successful small hotel on the Causeway Coast and want to take bookings from customers across Europe.
Without an adequacy deal in place, your business can’ t store customer email addresses or send them personalised messages.
Such limitations could significantly hamper marketing opportunities and potentially lead to a dropoff in bookings from European customers. For many innovative SMEs it’ s their smart use of data, through targetedmarketing, that gives them an advantage in a crowded marketplace. Depriving them of these tools could be devastating.
Likewise, multiplayer video games that allow people from all over the world to compete against each other are reliant on the transfer of information. Without an adequacy decision, UK gamers wouldn’ t be able to join in.
That would mean worldleading businesses, in a sector we are determined to grow, could stand to lose out. The same is true of sectors like fintech, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing which are all central to the success of Northern Ireland’ s future economy.
So whether you own a hotel on the Causeway Coast, coach a professional sports team or are exporting agriculture products which can be traced right back through the supply chain, ensuring you have access to the data you need to remain competitive is absolutely essential in a digital, datadriven world.
That’ s why ensuring that the UK remains a key player in the digital economy is vitally important. Secure data capture, storage and transfer remains the bedrock on which economies are now built.
The CBI remains committed to working with government to secure a negotiated deal that protects the enormous benefits that data transfer provides to companies and consumers post March 2019.
As a small peripheral country, smooth and safe data transfer across borders is perhaps even more important for Northern Ireland if it is to compete in the global economy. Firms across the region are already seeking clarity and demanding a sensible way forward.
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