EXIN Launches New Privacy & Data Protection Exam

UTRECHT- October 27, 2016 - Global certification institute EXIN expands its portfolio with a new exam: EXIN Privacy & Data Protection. The content is aligned with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force in May 2016.  These tighter rules will have a large impact and companies would do well to comply.

Under this new regulation, any company or individual that processes data by which an individual can be identified, will also be held responsible for the protection of that data. This includes third parties such as cloud providers.

Complying with these rules does have benefits; doing business in European countries will be less expensive and complicated as all countries have the same rules. This harmonization is expected to save businesses up to €2.3 billion per year, according to the European Commission’s Impact Assessment. Also, it can lead to enhanced client satisfaction and new clients can be attracted when a company is known for respecting their clients’ privacy.

On the other hand, not being compliant can lead to severe penalties, but also reputational damage. Organizations outside the EU will need to comply with the EU data protection rules as well, making this certification relevant on a global basis.

“I am very pleased with this expansion of our portfolio. This is such a relevant topic in times where data is collected, stored, analyzed and used. Privacy must at all times be a priority. Professionals that handle customer data will need to understand their increased responsibility, the impact for their organization and what needs to be done to be compliant. Having certified professionals with the right level of knowledge will certainly help organizations to face these opportunities and challenges,” said Bernd Taselaar, CEO of EXIN.

The EXIN Privacy & Data Protection exam was developed in joint cooperation with the Security Academy, a European training institute with a focus on Information Security, Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Security Management. The partnership with the Security Academy is meant to combine hands-on, practical and job-oriented ICT security experience with EXIN’s vendor independent IT certification knowledge base, both at a high international level.