You get a senior Data Protection Officer delivered as a service: named, notified to the supervisory authority, and ready when regulators, enterprise buyers, or investors start asking about privacy.
What you get:
- A named senior DPO on a simple monthly subscription
- GDPR, UK GDPR, US state law, EU AI Act, NIS2, and DORA covered by one team
- Enterprise questionnaires, data subject requests, and breach response handled to deadline
What is DPO as a Service (DPaaS)?
DPO as a Service (DPaaS) is the outsourced Data Protection Officer role delivered on a subscription, rather than hired in-house. It is the same service as an outsourced DPO, and is also called external DPO, virtual DPO, or fractional DPO. Under GDPR Article 37(6), the DPO can be an external service provider, so a DPaaS appointment carries the same legal standing as an internal hire.
For a growing technology company, the subscription model is often the most effective way to fill the role. You get senior judgement from day one, a predictable monthly cost, and the independence the role requires, without the overhead and recruitment time of a full-time hire.
What does DPO as a Service include?
- Named DPO, notified to the supervisory authority under GDPR Article 37
- Privacy framework and documentation: policies, data maps, Records of Processing (RoPA), and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs)
- Day-to-day privacy advisory and reviews for new products, features, markets, and partnerships
- Vendor and third-party risk management, including DPAs and international transfer assessments
- Enterprise deal support: security and privacy questionnaires, due diligence packs, and compliance attestations
- Data subject requests and breach management, including regulator communications and a 24/7 emergency breach hotline
- AI compliance and EU AI Act readiness, AI risk assessments, and governance documentation
- NIS2 and DORA support for companies in scope of EU cybersecurity and digital operational resilience rules
How much does DPO as a Service cost?
DPaaS is priced as a simple monthly subscription, scoped to your processing complexity and regulatory footprint.
Advisory From €500 per month. Lighter-touch privacy advisory for earlier-stage companies: policy reviews, ad-hoc guidance, and documentation support on demand.
DPO Essentials From €2,000 per month. A dedicated, named DPO embedded in your team, covering your privacy framework, documentation, vendor management, enterprise deal support, and breach handling. Most common for companies at Seed to Series B.
DPO Premium From €5,000 per month. Full-scope DPO with multi-jurisdictional coverage, advanced AI compliance, M&A due diligence support, and priority 24/7 breach response. For Series B+ companies operating across regions.
Book a call and we will scope what you actually need. See the full outsourced DPO cost guide for how pricing compares to a full-time hire.
Is there a UK version of DPO as a Service?
Yes. For UK companies, the same DPaaS subscription covers UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with the DPO notified to the ICO where appointment is required. Where you also serve EU customers, we cover EU GDPR and can arrange an EU Representative through a partner entity to keep the two roles independent. See our DPO for UK companies page for the UK-specific detail.
DPaaS or hiring a DPO in-house?
A full-time in-house DPO typically costs €115,000 to €200,000 per year fully loaded, plus recruitment time. For most companies from Seed to mid-Series B, the volume of privacy work does not justify that headcount. DPaaS brings the same senior judgement at a fraction of the cost, and the external model is structurally better placed to maintain the independence GDPR requires.
Why Engage Compliance
You work directly with a senior DPO. Experience across 100+ companies including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood. Not a junior consultant or a software dashboard with just a checklist.
DPaaS is part of one alias family. Explore the outsourced DPO service, fractional DPO, external DPO, and virtual DPO. They all describe the same senior, EU-established DPO role, delivered the way that fits your stage.