DPO as a Service (DPOaaS) is an outsourced solution that gives organizations access to a qualified Data Protection Officer without the cost and overhead of a full-time in-house hire. Under GDPR Article 37, many organizations are legally required to appoint a DPO — and even those that are not face significant compliance risk without expert data protection guidance. Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service provides certified privacy professionals who fulfil all GDPR Articles 37–39 obligations on your behalf, tailored to your organization's size, sector, and regulatory footprint.
Who Is This For?
Organizations subject to GDPR that are required to appoint a Data Protection Officer under Article 37
SMEs and growing businesses that need qualified DPO expertise without a full-time senior hire
Organizations operating across multiple EU jurisdictions requiring multi-regulatory knowledge
Any business seeking to reduce GDPR compliance risk and demonstrate accountability to supervisory authorities
What Is DPO as a Service?
DPO as a Service is an outsourced model permitted under GDPR Article 37(6), which explicitly allows the DPO function to be fulfilled by an external service provider under a service contract. Rather than recruiting and employing a full-time DPO — a specialist role in high demand and short supply — organizations engage a qualified external DPO team that provides the same statutory functions at a fraction of the cost, with greater expertise and guaranteed continuity of service.
Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service bridges the gap between mandatory GDPR compliance obligations and the practical realities of resourcing a qualified data protection function — making expert DPO support accessible to organizations of all sizes.
GDPR DPO Requirements: Who Needs to Appoint a DPO?
Under GDPR Article 37, DPO appointment is mandatory in three scenarios:
The processing is carried out by a public authority or body (except courts acting in their judicial capacity)
The organization's core activities require regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale
The organization's core activities consist of large-scale processing of special categories of data (Article 9) or data relating to criminal convictions and offenses (Article 10)
Even where mandatory appointment does not apply, the European Data Protection Board recommends appointing a DPO as a best practice for any organization that processes personal data regularly. Voluntary DPO appointment significantly reduces compliance risk and demonstrates GDPR accountability under Article 5(2). Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service is available for both mandatory and voluntary appointments.
Key Benefits of DPO as a Service
Compared to an in-house DPO hire, DPO as a Service offers significant advantages across cost, expertise, independence, and scalability:
Benefit |
Description |
|---|---|
Cost Efficiency |
A fraction of the cost of a full-time DPO hire — no recruitment, onboarding, or ongoing training overhead |
Expert Knowledge |
Access to a team of certified privacy professionals with cross-industry and multi-jurisdictional experience |
Scalability |
Service level adjusts as your organization grows, enters new markets, or faces changing regulatory requirements |
Independence |
External DPOs are naturally independent — satisfying GDPR Article 38 requirements with no internal conflicts of interest |
Regulatory Currency |
Stay current with evolving GDPR guidance, supervisory authority decisions, and regulatory developments — without internal training investment |
Service Continuity |
No disruption from leave, illness, or resignation — guaranteed continuity of DPO coverage at all times |
What Secure Privacy DPO as a Service Includes
Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service covers the full scope of GDPR Articles 37–39 obligations and operational data protection support:
Official DPO registration: Your appointed DPO is registered with the relevant supervisory authority under GDPR Article 37(7) from the start of the engagement.
GDPR compliance monitoring: Ongoing monitoring of your organization's compliance with GDPR and other applicable data protection laws, including national implementing legislation.
DPIA advice and oversight: Guidance on when Data Protection Impact Assessments are required, review of completed assessments, and monitoring of mitigation implementation.
Data subject and supervisory authority contact point: Your DPO serves as the accessible, registered contact point for all data subject queries and supervisory authority communications.
Staff data protection training: Role-specific training delivery and awareness programs covering GDPR obligations across your workforce.
Compliance audits and reporting: Regular compliance audits and structured reporting to your leadership team — providing documented accountability evidence.
Breach response and notification support: Expert guidance on breach assessment, 72-hour supervisory authority notification, data subject communication, and breach register documentation.
Getting Started with Secure Privacy DPO as a Service
Onboarding with Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service typically takes two to four weeks and begins with an initial GDPR compliance assessment of your organization. To get started, contact your account manager or explore DPO as a Service plans on the Secure Privacy website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DPO as a Service legally valid under GDPR?
Yes. GDPR Article 37(6) explicitly permits the DPO function to be fulfilled by an external service provider under a service contract. A DPOaaS arrangement satisfies all GDPR Article 37–39 obligations — including mandatory supervisory authority registration, accessibility to data subjects, independence requirements, and the full scope of Article 39 tasks — provided the service agreement is structured to reflect these obligations.
How quickly can a DPO as a Service be operational?
Unlike an in-house hire — which involves a recruitment process, notice period, and onboarding timeline that can take several months — Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service can be operational within days of contract execution. DPO registration with the supervisory authority is completed at engagement confirmation, ensuring your organization is formally compliant from the outset.
What is included in the initial compliance assessment?
The initial compliance assessment is a structured gap analysis covering your existing privacy policies, ROPA, security measures, data subject rights processes, vendor agreements, and international transfer arrangements. Findings are used to build your prioritized compliance roadmap — identifying critical issues for immediate action and medium-term improvements for the months ahead.
Can Secure Privacy's DPO as a Service support organizations in multiple countries?
Yes. Secure Privacy's DPO team has multi-jurisdictional expertise covering GDPR requirements across EU member states, UK GDPR, and applicable national data protection legislation. The compliance assessment and ongoing support account for all jurisdictions in which your organization operates — from supervisory authority registration to national-law-specific compliance obligations.