Data protection for large organisations

Data protection is important because it protects people from harm. It is one of the cornerstones of democracy, protects individual freedoms and enables the free flow of data. If data is the new oil in the information age, then any laws that regulate how an organisation can process personal data become crucial. Oh, and the law also requires data protection.

The problem is that data protection is complex and hard to get right on your own. The risks of getting it wrong are significant. Many organisations have found out the hard way and suffered the consequences. Their brands have been severely damaged, they’ve lost the trust of their customers, or they’ve been fined large amounts.

Getting data protection right can be expensive. Many organisations have spent lots of money on consultants trying to put the controls in place to protect the personal data they process without really getting practical and effective results. Without guidance, people in organisations have spent hours and hours trying to get their heads around data protection. Data protection is difficult to understand and apply to your specific circumstances because it is complex and deals with intangible concepts. The focus should not be on compliance but rather the outcomes the law is seeking to achieve. You also want to do things in the right order.

Getting expert guidance and assistance makes a lot of sense. We have put all our knowledge, expertise and experience into this programme. We’ve spent thousands of hours creating it so that you can protect the personal data you process in a practical and effective way. This programme contains the knowledge we’ve gained through many years of practically applying the topic and helping other organisations (guidance in a structured format), easy access to relevant laws, tools for you to use (like templates, frameworks and presentations), and a programme group or forum for discussion about shared issues. A place for members to talk to each other. Many people face the same challenges and there is no competitive advantage in dealing with them. Collaborating with others to solve the common issues makes a lot of sense, especially when our common goal is to protect people from harm. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

This programme will help you process personal data lawfully and embed a culture of data protection and build capacity in your organisation. Use your resources, but with our expert guidance. Transfer skills to the relevant people in your organisation and empower them.

This programme is for large organisations, which we classify as an organisation with:

• more than 250 full-time paid employees, or
• a total annual turnover of more than 50 million ZAR, 4 million USD or 3.5million EUR.

We also have a programme for medium-sized enterprises and small business.

This programme is for organisations that have to comply with multiple data protection laws (like the GDPR, the CCPA, the UK DPA, the POPI Act or other data protection laws of Africa). If your organisation only has to (or wants to) comply with the South African Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act or POPIA) you can look at the topic through the POPI lense, which is included in this subscription. We also have specific leanses for manufacturers, non profit organisations, schools, community schemes and in healthcare. If you are one of those, you can also look through that lense.

Types of organisations

• Organisations on whom the impact of data protection law is medium or high, especially organisations who have many natural people as customers. Organisations whose primary activity involves the processing of personal data or are data-driven. Good examples are direct marketers, healthcare providers, medical schemes, financial service providers, banks, insurers, mobile network operators, IT companies, manufacturers, credit bureaus and pension funds.
• Organisations who have lots of employees and process lots of personal information (like health data) about them (like mines).
• This programme is also for public bodies (like a Government Department, statutory body or State Owned Company).
• This programme is not for small organisations.

Types of people

The people from an organisation who get the most value from this programme are the people planning, deciding and implementing actions to protect personal data. For example, the in-house legal, general counsel, compliance officer, data protection (or information) officer, chief privacy officer, privacy (or data protection) champions, heads of department, or managers. This programme is not for customer-facing employees.

• Protect people from harm by protecting their personal data that your organisation processes.
• Enable your organisation to perform its activities and grow by processing personal data lawfully.
• Reduce the risks of non-compliance (like damage to your brand and losing the trust of your customers) by focusing your efforts.
• Reduce your overall costs by doing it yourself with our assistance.
• Fast track your efforts by accessing deep knowledge, expertise and experience. Save time by having an expert guide and coach you.
• Ensure everything is privileged from authorities by engaging with Michalsons who are independent professional legal advisers.
• Comply with the data protection laws that your organisation must comply with by putting the necessary controls in place.
• Build trust with your data subjects (or controllers) by being in a position to get certified by an agency or by displaying the POPIA Ready seal.

• We believe in using the law as a tool to prevent harm from coming to people.
• We have significant practical experience dealing with data protection.
• We cover only those areas of data protection law that are most relevant to you, saving you time and money.
• We provide insight and simplify the issues, empowering you to work through the obligations yourself.

If you would like a detailed outline of the core modules of the programme, please fill in your details below and we’ll send it to you:

This programme is ready to join and work through at your own pace. You can go as fast or slow as you like. Most organisations take between 12 and 24 months to work through the whole programme. An unlimited number of named users in your organisation will get access to the programme so you can split the modules up between multiple people and do it a lot faster.

How long will my organisation have access for?

You will have access for as long as your organisation continues to pay the fees. The content will be updated as the law and best practice is continuously developing. (It is unlikely but we reserve the right to terminate the programme at some point in the future provided everyone has had access for the period for which they have paid.)

What does the programme NOT cover?

You can also read what is excluded and what the programme is NOT.

How many people in my organisation can have access?

The access is per organisation. So you can have an unlimited number of participants from your organisation. We do however recommend that you don’t have too many so that you are sure who has accountability for driving your compliance.

What if we still need help on specific questions we have?

You’re welcome to contact Michalsons at any time. We will try to answer where we can, and if there is significant research or work required we will provide you with quotations to do the work.

We charge a monthly fee for access to the programme. Click join to complete the programme registration form. You choose the currency and we will send you an invoice for payment. The prices listed include VAT.

EUR      345
ZAR   5,555

100% Money Back Guarantee

We will refund you if you do not think you received value.