Data Protection Seminar by Awara Eduhouse Training held in Helsinki November 21^st, 2014

Companies will be required in the collection and other type of processing of personal data of Russian citizens to use databases on the territory of Russia.

The new law applies even to foreign companies which are not registered in Russia and do not have representative offices in Russia. The law will go into effect in September, 2016.

Awara Eduhouse Training hosted a seminar on this “worrisome” topic in Helsinki on November 21^st, 2014 for clients from Finnish and international firms. As speakers we had Awara Group’s partners Mika Kokkonen and Anton Kabakov (lawyer), and Awara IT-solutions’ partner, Alexander Ermakov.

This seminar aimed at delivering practical information and an understanding of what the changes mean for Finnish/international companies including their subsidiaries located in Russia and how to make relevant preparations. The coaches also clarified false interpretations and offered more realistic views about the situation.

The key topics of the presenters were:

1.What is the most up to date situation? – Mika Kokkonen

• Why is there a difference based on what you might have learned from media and what is the real situation?
• What kind of companies should start to make preparations?
• When changes are most likely going to occur?

2. Legislation – Anton Kabakov

• Current status with personal data in Russia
• What does this law mean on the basic level?
• What possible problems will appear?
• Which persons should be interested in this topic and why?
• Why did the suggested timetable change? Is this meaningful?
• Recommended solutions and advice. What to do with duplicate databases?
• What is the possibility for changes to appear before 1.1.2015. What might they be?
• What about companies registered in Finland but doing Russian trade with Russian personal data?
• What will happen for companies that violate this law?

3. IT – Alexander Ermakov

• What does this law mean when it comes to IT & systems?
• Do companies need to make preparations already? Or is it better to wait and see?
• Defining Russian servers (dummy style, what is a server? what does business professionals such as head of import, head of sales etc. need to know about them?)
• Possible need for hardware, software and service upgrades?
• What is the realistic timetable for possible changes? What is needed?

If you do not get the answers you were looking for, please contact me at helenika.hellevig@awaragroup.com and I will try to help you out! Our guys have followed this entire process and will be able to offer firsthand information to those who did not have the opportunity to attend the seminar.

Best wishes,

Helenika Hellevig 
Organizational Consultant
helenika.hellevig@awaragroup.com
+7 495 225-30-38