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The POPI Act seeks to regulate the processing of personal information by a public or private entity to protect individuals from data theft of their personal details and the potentially harmful repercussions after this theft.

The POPI Act, or Protection of Personal Information Act, came into effect in South Africa on 01 July 2020 with the implementation deadline for companies to comply by 01 July 2021. This Act will have a significant impact on many businesses in South Africa, regardless of their size.

What Are The Risks Of Not Complying with POPI?

The risks of not complying with the POPI Act include hefty fines, imprisonment of up to a year, as well as reputational damage for failing to protect individual personal data and data about minors.

Some important examples of this personal data under the POPI Act include;

Contact details (physical address, cell number, email, etc.)
Banking details (account information)
Personal history (education, finances, criminal record, etc.)
Demographics (your race, where you live, your religion, etc.)
Medical information (diseases, blood type, medical tests, etc.)
Personal opinions (surveys, polls, etc.)

Among their other responsibilities, the POPI Act obliges companies to collect only personal information that is required for specific purposes and to apply reasonable security measures to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the personal data.

How To Prevent A Breach Of Personal Data

To ensure POPI compliance, Westech, a premium IT support company in Sandton, advises companies to develop and implement strict data protection policies and to provide suitable training for employees who are pivotal in processing any personal data.

How To Secure IT Networks

In addition to this, Westech also proposes the enabling of secure access points on IT networks to prevent unauthorised computer access, hacking and other security breaches, which could leave personal data at risk.

Many other levels of IT security can be further implemented to mitigate threats to IT networks, such as;

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect privacy over an unsecured network
Use of WPA2 encryption to authenticate valid users
Additional authentication portals after logging in
Use of intelligent wireless controllers to manage data centrally
Proper segregation of guest and employee network traffic
Use of specific firewall rules
Detection intrusion systems

The implementation of adequate cyber-security protocols will ensure protection from digital attacks for companies and networks, and that personal data remains secure. As a trusted IT support, IT services and IT information officer, Westech will ensure that personal data is always protected.

Contact Westech for reliable advice on the right cyber-security technology.

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