DPO Services & Consultancy in Edinburgh

For many financial firms, a DPO is voluntary. For insurers and firms screening customers at scale, it often isn't. The difference lies in whether large-scale processing of special category or criminal offence data is part of the core business.

We act as the named, outsourced DPO for Edinburgh and East of Scotland organisations, remotely and on a fixed monthly fee.

Insurers and health data

Life, health and protection insurers collect medical information to underwrite policies and assess claims. That processing is central to the business, not incidental to it — and where it happens on a large scale, a DPO is mandatory.

Criminal offence data

Fraud screening, sanctions checks and financial crime investigations can involve information about criminal convictions and offences. Large-scale processing of this data as part of core activities is a separate DPO trigger in its own right, and it has additional conditions under the Data Protection Act 2018.

Scottish public bodies

Edinburgh is home to the Scottish Government, national agencies and many FOISA-designated bodies, all of which must appoint a DPO. The ICO's Scotland office is also in the city. For a detailed look at the role, see what a DPO actually does.

Sectors we support in the East of Scotland

How our outsourced DPO service works

1. A free 30-minute consultation to understand your organisation, your processing and whether a DPO is mandatory for you.
2. A clear proposal with a single fixed monthly fee, based on your size and complexity. No hidden costs.
3. Your named DPO in place within 48 hours, with the ICO notified of their contact details.
4. Ongoing support: monthly reporting, policy oversight, breach readiness and direct access to your DPO.

Every engagement runs on rolling monthly terms, with no long-term contract.

DPO consultancy without an appointment

Not every organisation needs a formal DPO. If the mandatory triggers don't apply to you, our DPO consultancy gives you the same expertise on the specific areas you need — a compliance gap analysis, DPIAs for new projects, policy reviews, breach response support or staff training — without the statutory obligations that come with appointing a DPO.

Edinburgh firms most often ask us for DPIAs on underwriting or fraud-screening systems, and for independent reviews of how criminal offence data is handled.

Frequently asked questions

Do insurers need a DPO?

Insurers processing health data on a large scale as part of underwriting or claims generally do, because that processing is a core activity.

Does fraud screening trigger the DPO requirement?

It can. Large-scale processing of criminal offence data as part of core activities is one of the three mandatory triggers.

Where is the ICO based in Scotland?

The ICO has a Scotland office in Edinburgh. It regulates data protection across Scotland.