TALKING BUSINESS
“The uses of data
have reached such
a level of value to
businesses that it
is becoming subject
to more stringent
standards and
controls to
safeguard its value
and availability.”
Personal data: responsibility lies
with the business
In South Africa, the Protection of
Personal Information Act (PoPI)
enshrines the constitutional right to
privacy by safeguarding personal
information through regulating the way
in which it is processed, and providing
individuals with recourse should their
personal information not be processed
in accordance with the regulation.
Section 19 of the Act, which deals
with security safeguards, states that
organisations must take appropriate
measures to protect personal information
against unlawful access or processing,
as well as loss, damage, or unauthorised
destruction. Companies must further
take measures to identify risks, maintain
safeguards against such risks, and ensure
that these safeguards are continually
updated in response to new risks.
Businesses are further responsible
for keeping their security and data
protection up to date and to make sure
anybody who handles data on their
behalf – whether internal employees or
external suppliers – does the same.
Data-driven opportunities
for growth
Dragan Petkovic, Security Product
Leader ECEMEA, Oracle South Africa
www.intelligentcio.com
The crafting of such regulation in
South Africa – and across many
countries around the world – are in
response to a growing digital economy,
where personal data is moving faster,
further and more freely than ever.
Furthermore, rapid advancements
in artificial intelligence and machine
learning are giving businesses the
ability to automate processes across
the organisation and extract even
greater value from the data that they
have. This is made possible through the
maturation of cloud computing at the
infrastructure, platform and software
level, giving businesses the ability to
extract, collate and analyse data at
incredible volumes and speed – even
from across previously disparate systems
– and fully explore the potential and
value of their data.
Companies should view PoPI as an
opportunity to better align their
organisations; data protection regulation
is likely to continue evolving, and a clear
view of how data moves across the
business will be critical to staying on top
of change. While it may be enough for
companies to merely comply with the
regulations, taking a long-term view
can help them work more efficiently
and differentiate themselves in a highly
competitive market. n
“Companies
must further
take measures
to identify
risks, maintain
safeguards
against such risks,
and ensure that
these safeguards
are continually
updated in response
to new risks.”
INTELLIGENTCIO
29