“Build Your Own” O365 Data Protection Impact Assessment for the Public Sector

At Microsoft, we are committed to helping our public sector customers embrace the most cutting-edge technologies while ensuring they have the information they need to enable them to continue to meet their compliance obligations. It is in that spirit, and based on customer feedback that we are pleased to share our revamped “Build Your Own” Data Protection Impact Assessment template for Office 365.  

A Data Protection Impact Assessment (“DPIA”) is a process for assessing and demonstrating data protection compliance as mandated by the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The GDPR requires controllers to prepare a DPIA for operations that are “likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons”. However, based on conversations we have had with a number of public sector customers who are subject to the GDPR, we understand that even when this threshold is not necessarily met or is unlikely to be met, some customers are keen to take a more cautious approach and choose to complete a DPIA.   

In order to provide public sector customers with clear and concise information to support their completion of DPIAs, the “Build Your Own” DPIA is a customizable and illustrative template guide Microsoft has produced, by reference to our Product Terms and our Data Protection Addendum (“DPA”). It is designed to help public sector organizations systematically identify, assess, and address potential data protection risks, making it easier to evaluate compliance with the GDPR.  

We recognize that compliance tools like the “Build Your Own” DPIA will need to evolve as our technology evolves and the ways in which our customers use our technology change.  As such, we are committed to continually refining and improving the document, including based on customer feedback, with the goal of helping make our customers’ digital transformation compliance journey as friction-free as possible.

Download the template here: https://servicetrust.microsoft.com/DocumentPage/176bc7d7-ab27-48ea-a829-7e041a22e682