DPO as a Service

A Named Data Protection Officer.
Without the Full-Time Hire.

UK GDPR requires certain organisations to appoint a Data Protection Officer — and many more choose to appoint one voluntarily for the oversight it provides. Aursec's DPO as a Service gives you a qualified, named DPO on a retainer — registered with the ICO, accountable, and embedded in how your business operates. No recruitment. No employment costs. No gaps in cover.

Named DPO registered with ICO
Retainer Monthly or annual
Qualified GDPR specialist
ICO Registered DPO
Named Point of Contact
DPIA Oversight & Sign-off
Breach Assessment Support

When a DPO Is Required —
and When It Makes Sense Anyway

Under UK GDPR, a DPO is mandatory in specific circumstances. But many organisations appoint one voluntarily — because the oversight, accountability, and ICO credibility it provides is worth having regardless of legal obligation.

Legally Required

You Must Appoint a DPO If:

  • You are a public authority or body
  • Your core activities require large-scale, regular and systematic monitoring of individuals
  • Your core activities involve large-scale processing of special category data or criminal conviction data
  • You are an NHS supplier or health-adjacent organisation with significant data processing obligations

If you are unsure whether this applies to your organisation, book a scoping call — we'll tell you.

Recommended

You May Want to Appoint a DPO Even If Not Required:

  • You handle significant volumes of personal data as part of your core business
  • You supply to sectors that expect DPO oversight — NHS, public sector, defence
  • You want a named, accountable person for ICO and data subject enquiries
  • You want to demonstrate accountability and build client trust
  • You are growing and want governance in place before it becomes legally required

Voluntary appointment signals maturity and commitment to data protection — increasingly expected by clients and supply chain partners.

A Full DPO Function.
On a Retainer.

Every DPO as a Service engagement covers the full range of DPO responsibilities — from ICO registration to day-to-day oversight and breach assessment.

Named DPO & ICO Registration

A qualified, named Data Protection Officer registered with the ICO on behalf of your organisation. Meets the legal requirement for mandatory appointees and provides a verifiable point of accountability for voluntary ones.

Data Subject Point of Contact

Your DPO acts as the named contact for individuals exercising their rights under UK GDPR — subject access requests, erasure requests, objections, and complaints. All handled within statutory timeframes and fully documented.

ICO Point of Contact

Your DPO liaises directly with the ICO on your behalf — for regulatory enquiries, consultations, and any formal communications. A professional, qualified point of contact rather than a non-specialist fielding ICO contact cold.

Ongoing Compliance Oversight

Regular review of your data protection position — ROPA currency, policy compliance, processing activities against lawful basis, and any new obligations arising from changes to your business or the law.

DPIA Oversight & Sign-off

Your DPO reviews, advises on, and signs off Data Protection Impact Assessments for new or changed processing activities. Documented oversight that demonstrates accountability if the ICO ever asks.

Breach Assessment & Notification Support

When a personal data breach occurs, your DPO assesses severity, advises on notification obligations, and supports ICO notification within the 72-hour window where required. Note: technical incident response is handled separately by our Incident Response service.

Staff Training Oversight

Your DPO oversees and advises on staff data protection training — ensuring the right training is in place, completed, and evidenced. Can be combined with Aursec's Data Protection Training for a fully managed solution.

Retainer or Annual Contract —
You Choose

Every business is different. Some prefer the flexibility of a monthly retainer. Others want the certainty of an annual contract. Both options deliver the full DPO function.

Option 1
Monthly Retainer

Full DPO function on a flexible monthly basis. Scale up or down as your needs change.

  • Named DPO registered with ICO
  • Full DPO function as detailed above
  • Monthly compliance check-in
  • No long-term commitment
  • One month notice period
  • Ideal for: organisations wanting flexibility or trialling the service

Up and Running in Days.
Not Months.

Appointing an external DPO is straightforward. We handle the ICO registration and get everything in place quickly — so your organisation has the coverage it needs without delay.

1

Scoping Call

30-minute call to confirm whether a DPO is legally required, understand your current data protection position, and agree on engagement structure. No commitment required.

2

Onboarding

We review your current documentation, ROPA, and processing activities. We register as your named DPO with the ICO and establish point of contact arrangements for data subjects and the ICO.

3

Active DPO Function

Your named DPO is in place and operating. Data subject requests handled, ICO contact managed, DPIA oversight active, and compliance monitoring underway. You always know who to call.

4

Ongoing Review

Regular compliance check-ins and reviews — monthly or quarterly depending on your agreement. Annual review report for board-level accountability. Your framework stays current as your business evolves.

DPO as a Service Works Best
Alongside a Strong Foundation

A DPO provides oversight and accountability — but they need something to oversee. If your privacy framework isn't built yet, we recommend starting with our Data Protection Consultancy service first.

If you don't yet have a ROPA, privacy notices, and documented processes in place — your DPO will spend their time building the foundations rather than providing the oversight you actually need.

Our recommended path for most clients is Privacy Foundation or Privacy Build first, then DPO as a Service to provide the ongoing named oversight once the framework is in place.

If you already have a solid privacy framework — we can go straight to DPO appointment.

See Data Protection Consultancy →
Privacy Foundation or Privacy Build
Build your framework
Ongoing Compliance
Framework maintained & current

Often Combined With

Data Protection Consultancy

Build the privacy framework your DPO will oversee. ROPA, privacy notices, DPIAs, supplier due diligence — delivered as a structured project before DPO appointment.

Learn more →

Data Protection Training

Your DPO is responsible for overseeing staff training. Aursec's data protection training programme delivers the sessions — your DPO signs off the evidence.

Learn more →

Incident Response

When a breach occurs, your DPO handles the data protection assessment and ICO notification. Our Incident Response service handles the technical containment and recovery. Two services, one coordinated response.

Learn more →
Could not be happier with the services provided by Aursec in supporting the IT of my Business. From initial engagement, Aursec worked with me to understand my requirements and ensured an efficient rollout of my Company's IT solution. They took the stress out of achieving CyberEssentials Plus certification and now are fully embedded with my organisation as a partner to deliver long term IT Service Support. Aursec would be a great option for any size business but are particularly valuable for smaller businesses that require that additional hands-on knowledge and experience.
NM
Nathan Molnar
CEO, Avencys Group Ltd

Ready to Appoint Your DPO?

Book a free 30-minute scoping call. We'll confirm whether a DPO is legally required for your organisation, explain what the service covers, and give you a clear quote.

Book a Free Scoping Call

Get in Touch About DPO as a Service

Tell us about your organisation and what's driving the need for a DPO. We'll come back to you within one working day.

info@aursec.co.uk