Cyber & Data Protection Limited has a lot of Charity clients, – these are 7 Data Protection & Cyber Security Challenges specific to the sector.

  1.        Volunteers

Many charities struggle because of their reliance on volunteers.   Many of them many not have the training an internet member of staff has or understand data law which leads to handling data incorrectly and collecting data that shouldn’t be collected.  Regular awareness training for staff and volunteers can help reduce this risk.  Volunteers collecting data for you need to be aware of data protection regulation.

2.       Limited Budget

Most charities have limited financial resources which can make it challenging to implement robust data protection and cybersecurity measures.   Post Covid and current cost of living challenges has led to huge funding pressures for charities  as well.

3.       Sensitive Data

Charities collect personal and financial information about donors, beneficiaries, and their employees.  This is a lot of sensitive data that’s of value to cyber criminals.

4.       Limited IT Expertise

Charities often don’t have access to in-house IT expertise and instead rely on third-party service providers to manage their IT infrastructure. When this is the case it can be challenging to know whether or not advice they are getting is in their best interests or best practice.  The infrastructure to secure special category data may not exist.

5.       Cyber Threats

Cyber Threats for organisations holding sensitive data  are high and also 3rd party Charity suppliers are an added risk.  Successful Cyber threats can cause financial loss, significant disruptions and potentially a serious risk to reputation.

6.       Regulatory Compliance

Charities have to comply with with data protection regulations which GDPR  and any successors, which can be complex and time-consuming.  This will still the case with the changes proposed to UK Data Protection with the Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) bill progressing through Parliament.

7.       Lack of Awareness

Many charities are simply not aware of the risks and may not have a cybersecurity strategy in place. This leaves them vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

 

So, what can Charities do to deal with these challenges?

  • Adopt basic Cyber Security steps –  Get Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
  • Appoint external expertise for data protection and cyber security if not in-house.  It fills any knowledge gap and will likely be less expensive than recruiting for internal roles.  Have a company like Cyber & Data Protection Limited offering you truly independent advice can be invaluable.
  • Technologies can be introduced to increase Charities operational efficiency and reduce costs.
  • Adopt best practices in governance, financial management, and operational procedures to ensure that your Charity  is operating effectively and efficiently. Take a security first approach which will ensure data security is considered by all operations within the organisation. This will help sustain their operations and enhance their credibility.
  • Contact Cyber & Data Protection Limited…more than 50% of our client base are charities and 3rd sector organisations.    We understand the challenges you face.

A recent charity breach…caused by a 3rd party supplier being targeted…

Charity data protection provider Cyber & Data Protection can help you with managed DPO, Data Protection Support, Virtual CISO, GDPR E-learning and much more.