Interview with Dominique Pissoort, DPO of STIB

In what context did you call on Adequacy?

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STIB (Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company) is a Belgian public company that employs some 10,000 people and covers a wide variety of professions.

When the GDPR came into force, we began to reflect on the compliance of our data processing system and its coverage: given the diversity of our businesses, we wanted to ensure that we covered all areas of the company in which we process data.

Initially, and like many companies I believe, we operated with tools that weren't really tools (Excel or SharePoint in particular...) and whose limitations we quickly saw. The business lines didn't understand what it was about, finding the information was tedious, as was the reporting that had to be done manually.

We therefore quickly began looking for a truly dedicated tool specifically designed for data compliance, processing, and protection. After a strict selection process linked to the fact that we are a public company, we chose Adequacy at the end of 2020.

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Why did you choose the Adequacy solution?

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We were looking for a comprehensive solution that would provide an at-a-glance view of the progress of our projects, by business unit. Furthermore, we required confidentiality across business units. Adequacy's ability to treat each entity independently and confidentially, while providing a consolidated view of the entire process, was a perfect fit for us.

The traceability enabled by Adequacy was also very important: keeping track of all the questions or comments that were made to us is invaluable. Finally, we really appreciated that the solution, while not 100% tailor-made, could be very broadly adapted to our needs, and this was a real difference when comparing Adequacy with other solutions on the market.

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What transformation has taken place with the use of the Adequacy solution?

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I would say first of all that they put us on track for our compliance and its monitoring. What we produce today, thanks to the "DPO report" in the reports we send to management, is much more professional, both in the quality of the data analyzed and in its presentation.

Furthermore, the solution is very educational thanks to explanatory pop-ups or the famous "magic wand," which allow you to constantly deepen your knowledge and use of the tool. Not to mention the webinars that can be viewed live or recorded, which is very convenient!

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What do you think is the strong point of the Adequacy teams?

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Without hesitation: listen to them!

We arrived with a huge number of requests and thanks to the ongoing dialogue with the Adequacy teams, but also thanks to their expertise and flexibility, the necessary adjustments were always able to be proposed and this is a great satisfaction for us as users!

The quality of service is excellent, thanks to an accessible, flexible and responsive team.

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What is your vision of the DPO of tomorrow?

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People who will be working as DPOs in the future (this is already the case today, but the trend will increase) will have to wear more and more hats at the same time.

In my opinion, the greatest quality they must possess is undoubtedly curiosity: they must have sufficient knowledge of all the business lines within their company to have an idea of ​​the data processing that is carried out. They must, of course, be able to identify the risks inherent in each of these activities in order to be able to control them.

This obviously requires solid legal knowledge, to understand all the new regulations, and also technical knowledge, to understand computer systems. Failing that, you need to know how to surround yourself with the right people!

I recently attended a panel and the speaker said that "the DPO is the unicorn of the company": I find the image completely relevant!