Data Centre Compliance: Standards, Risk & Governance

New agreement with Republic of Korea to spark new era of digital trade

British businesses and consumers are set to benefit as the UK announces an ‘in principle’ deal to boost data sharing with the Republic of Korea. The deal is the UK’s first independent adequacy agreement with a priority country since leaving the European Union and sees the government seizing the benefits of having independent data laws. The ability to share more data without restrictions reduces administrative and financial compliance burdens and makes it easier for more organisations and businesses to trade and operate in both countries. It opens up new markets to digital trade and brings benefits such as lower prices to consumers. Data-dependent trade between the UK and the Republic of Korea is already worth £1.33 billion. This agreement will empower British businesses to build on this and grow the economy. The new agreement means UK-based organisations looking to sustain or grow their operations in the Republic of Korea (such as AstraZeneca and the bank Standard Chartered) and Korean-headquartered companies with operations in the UK, such as Samsung and LG Electronics, will be able to share data freely and maintain high protection standards. Organisations will no longer need contractual safeguards, such as International Data Transfer Agreements and Binding Corporate Rules in place. The agreement will also boost research and innovation, making it easier for experts to collaborate on medical treatments and other vital research that could save lives in the UK. Data Minister, Julia Lopez who signed the landmark agreement, says: “Today marks a huge milestone for the UK, the Republic of Korea and the high standards of data protection we share. Our new agreement will open up more digital trade to boost UK businesses and will enable more vital research that can improve the lives of people across the country.” Republic of Korea Commissioner of the Personal Information Protection Commission, Jong in Yoon says: “I am honoured to agree to this joint statement today. Strengthening cooperation between the UK and the Republic of Korea based on the shared recognition of high standards of protection can contribute to forming a healthier and more sustainable global data landscape.” The deal in principle strengthens the UK’s commitment to championing international data flows as set out in the National Data Strategy. The decision follows a year of detailed technical discussions between officials from the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Republic of Korea, the PIPC and the Financial Services Commission. The deal will promote the trustworthy use and sharing of data between the two countries and spark a wave of digital trade. It is a clear signal that British organisations and consumers can trust data standards in the Republic of Korea. Data-driven trade generated nearly three quarters of the UK’s total service exports and generated an estimated £234 billion for the economy in 2019. The Rt. Hon. John Whittingdale MP, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Republic of Korea, says: “I am delighted that the first new data adequacy agreement to be reached in principle by the UK is with the Republic of Korea. This reflects the strong relationship which already exists between our two countries and our shared commitment to high standards of data protection. By enabling the free flow of data, I have no doubt that this will reduce barriers and help businesses to trade.”

Fire safety amongst topics at Siemens Transform event

Siemens is presenting a two day conference and exhibition entitled ‘Transform 2022’ which will see the largest cross-section of the company’s UK and Ireland customers gather to address some of the most challenging issues currently facing businesses. Staged at the Manchester Central Convention Complex from 12-13 July, the focus will be on how Siemens and its customers can tackle the different pressures that are being brought to bear on business, with discussions, ideas and technologies that can help to provide the transformation required to shape a sustainable future. Amongst the topics under discussion will be fire safety and the role it can play in that process. ‘Digital Fire Safety: The tools you need to transform your fire protection’ will be the focus for a presentation on 12 July led by Rob Yates, Head of Fire Products, Siemens UK and Ireland. Rob says “We, like our customers, are very aware of the economic, environmental and societal pressures and the accelerated rate at which businesses are having to adjust to such challenges. This event will provide an important collaborative forum to address them. Digitalisation is one of the key drivers in ensuring a business is future-ready and fire safety is no exception. We’ll be looking at the significant benefits that cloud-enabled devices can bring to a fire safety system in terms of the availability of data and how it can be used to track compliance, enhance system records and ensure more efficient maintenance.” To register for the event click here.

Ground Labs launches Network to solve compliance requirements and boost revenue

Ground Labs has unveiled the Ground Labs Data Discovery Network, its expanded program to further welcome distributors, resellers, integrators, consultants and alliance partners into its partner ecosystem. The Ground Labs Data Discovery Network enables partners to add award-winning data discovery and remediation to their existing solutions portfolios to build new revenue streams while helping their customers comply with national and regional privacy laws and data handling regulations. Data discovery — technology that locates sensitive or regulated data types to protect or securely remove the information — is a critical tool for security teams’ compliance-readiness programs. In 2021, cumulative regulatory fines from GDPR breaches alone topped €1.3 billion (approx. $1.5 billion USD) prompting rapid growth in demand for data discovery, a market expected to double by 2025 as organizations are challenged to keep pace with a litany of compliance regulations. Ground Labs’ helps organizations reduce potential liability and risk across regulatory and industry-specific frameworks including the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). “Partnerships are a key foundation that Ground Labs was built on since the launch of our first product nearly 15 years ago. With the new Ground Labs Data Discovery Network, we’re making sweeping investments that offer an entirely new level of commitment of support for our partners — adding a talented global channel team, a comprehensive portal containing deep sales and technical resources and a new simplified pricing structure that empowers partners to compete and win,” says Stephen Cavey, Ground Labs’ co-founder and chief evangelist. “We’re excited to empower a broader range of distributors, resellers, integrators, consultants and alliance partners to bring data discovery, classification and remediation to their customers while expanding their services footprint and recognizing significant recurring revenue.” The Ground Labs Data Discovery Network is a partner-first initiative that offers channel partners instant entry to this market, empowering them with solutions to locate, classify and remediate all their clients’ sensitive data, regardless of where it is stored, ultimately improving their overall risk posture. The Ground Labs Data Discovery Network offers a dedicated partner portal with: Enterprise-class solutions for scalable data discovery across on-premise and cloud use cases.Easy access to Deal Registration, POC requests, ready-to-go marketing campaigns and engagement resources.World-class, award-winning, always-on technical support services for partners and customers.On-demand access to hands-on sales and technical training. “As the cloud and increased mobility have further expanded the boundaries of technology operations, organizations of all sizes need to quickly find and secure all the sensitive data within their systems, no matter where it resides — within a data centre or in a public or private cloud,” says Todd Moore, vice president of encryption products at Thales, a Ground Labs partner since 2019. “Our relationship with Ground Labs has helped customers across the Thales partner ecosystem to access powerful data discovery solutions to find, secure and remediate sensitive data.”