Credits

LAW
Muckle LLP
BEAT CYBER CRIME
WITH MUCKLE LLP
Jill Dovey, a commercial lawyer at Muckle LLP who specialises in IT, examines the growing
technology sector in the North East, the importance of organisations protecting themselves from
data breaches, and the new general data protection regulations (GDPR) that will have an impact
on all organisations when they come into force in 2018
i
MUCKLE
www.muckle-llp.com
@MuckleLLP
The North East technology and digital
sector is thriving. We have a vibrant,
growing community that looks set to
get bigger and better in coming years.
Since joining Muckle from Sage
earlier this year, I have been immersed in this
exciting community including supporting the
#ThisIsMINE campaign, as well as speaking at
some of the IT industry’s major conferences. It’s
no surprise that, according to recent research,
tech workers in the North East now earn the most
outside of London* - we’re so tech strong here and
we need to embrace that.
With this growing sector there is a real need
for businesses to be able to access expert advice
and guidance when it comes to ensuring they are
operating effectively and safely in their digital
activity.
Cyber security is a huge issue for our region.
Newcastle tops the league table** for data security
incidents with 93 per cent of businesses with
more than 200 employees in Newcastle and the
surrounding area having lost important data.
At the recent National Information Security
Conference in Glasgow, I was invited to talk
around this issue and how many businesses
could be overlooking what should be set out in
their contracts when it comes to cybersecurity.
Contracts should be used as a tool to map out the
steps to be taken to keep data safe and, if the worst
does happen, the response to a breach in terms of
notification and also liability.
The new General Data Protection Regulation,
which organisations must comply with by 2018,
was also on the agenda. This is an important
issue which will go beyond the technology sector
and will affect every business in the region to
differing degrees. Some may think it’s not relevant
to them due to Brexit but this is incorrect and
organisations need to be taking action now.
I’ve already done two webinars on the
regulations with cyber security solutions provider
Sapphire and encourage businesses to seek advice
on the things they can be doing now to prepare for
the changes.
There’s a common misconception that regional
businesses have to look to London for an IT
lawyer but here at Muckle we offer a range of
services. I have been hands-on in the industry
for seven years so I understand the pain points
and have seen how different types of businesses
overcome them. My in-house role at Sage was very
much a holistic one, where, as well as providing
legal and contractual IT services, I also worked
alongside the operations teams on devising and
implementing strategies.
I have seen first-hand the adoption of cloud
technology for both the provider and the supplier.
I advised on many of the enterprise contracts
when Sage procured technology for its internal
use as well as working on the customer base
solutions. This involved working with some of the
leading data centres and cloud providers but also
small, independent businesses.
One of reasons I decided to join Muckle was to
start working with the vibrant SMEs and start-up
businesses we have in the North East. At Muckle,
we offer expert advice on a range of IT issues from
cloud-based agreements and ramifications in
terms of data protection, to app development and
how to monetise an idea. We offer practical advice
on data security and we can help people build
their security net to ensure that they are covering
themselves on all appropriate bases.
*http://www.channelbiz.co.uk/2016/10/05/pay-north-outstripping-wages-south/
**http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/newcastle-tops-national-table-cyber-10244391
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