The National Accreditation Body (ENAC) has granted IVAC-Institute of Certification the first accreditation for data protection officer certification (DPD) under the Spanish Data Protection Agency's scheme conforming with the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17024 standard applicable to certification of persons.

IVAC-Institute of Certification has become the first body to pass ENAC's inspection process and consequently is the only one that can issue accredited DPD certificates, showing both the mark of ENAC and the scheme's owner. ENAC is also in the process of inspecting other bodies that have the AEPD's provisional designation and which enables them to hold exams for a year.

Miguel Ángel Vila, manager of IVAC - Institute of Certification, explained that one of the guarantees for companies when hiring a certified data protection officer from an accredited body is that "one can be confident that this professional has been qualified in a rigorous inspection process and, therefore, is in a position to offer a suitable service as such". Vila also indicates that, "it will guarantee that any claim or complaint you may have about the performance by the Certified Professional, if the DPD does not properly attend to it, can be brought before the certification body, in this case IVAC, who will analyse the certified professional's activity”.

With all this, the certification body values ENAC's accreditation as a way to be differentiated in the market: “For IVAC, ENAC's accreditation is the best way to compare ourselves to the big brands, as it is the recognition that the certification body issues reliable certificates in accordance with internationally recognized standards and, therefore, they will be valued and recognized in many countries on the basis of international agreements signed by accreditation bodies”, concluded Miguel Ángel Vila.