How would you know if your data was stolen or misused?

DQM GRC’s data seeding solutions enables you to monitor data usage by your customers, supply chain and your employees.

Data is a valuable business asset, and misusing or losing it can erode trust in the company. All organisations need to ensure that data is only being used by its licensed customers or suppliers and only for permitted purposes. While contractual obligations provide a benchmark, they cannot prove that data is being used as intended. Seeding the data, tracking it, and auditing end users is the only way for an organisation to be sure that contractual conditions are being adhered to.

Learn more about our data seeding services and solutions below or fill in the form to speak to an expert.

How does data seeding work?

Data seeding complements the measures your organisation takes to reduce the risk of data loss by enabling you to track and monitor your data sets, giving you early warning if they are misused or made available for sale by unlicensed parties.

Our seeding services include the provision of unique seed records (synthetic data) to add to your data supplies or databases. We then monitor how your data is being used by your customers, suppliers, partners or employees. The service works for physical mail, landlines, mobile phones and email addresses, building a detailed picture of the real use of your data.

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has enhanced the need for data seeding, as the Regulation requires you to put in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard the data you process.

Our data seeding team will work with you to design a programme tailored to your needs and requirements.

We will consider:

The size and number of your data sets

The nature, context and purpose of the database

The nature and context of the recipients

The ways you use your data

The profile of the individuals and businesses in your data sets

The ways in which your data is shared and processed

The kinds of activity you want to track

You will receive a detailed monthly report setting out the ways in which your data has been used, as agreed with you. This typically includes the channels that were used, the time and date on which the use was identified and evidence of the use, such as an image of a marketing campaign.

The data seeding process is sufficiently robust to use as evidence in a court of law, and we have a strong track record of supporting civil and criminal proceedings for theft and misuse of data.

Read our blog about why your organisation should seed its database.

What to expect

We will work with you to design a bespoke seeding programme that fits in with your data.

The seeding team will create and share the seed records with you, ready to insert into your data sets. You can manage this process yourself, or we can provide a fully managed service via our secure distribution portal. The contact details typically include:

Name
Company name
Phone number
Email address
Postal address

As soon as the seeds are placed in your data sets, our team will monitor any contact made with them. If your data is stolen or misused, we will support you. We can help you to investigate and remediate the breach, protect your data subjects, and take action against the party that caused it.

What our clients say about us

We first started using DQM GRC as our seeding company in 2014. This has been vital in helping us secure the data that we hold and making sure that our data licenses are not contravened. We have managed to stop a number of companies misusing the data and, in some instances, we have reclaimed costs for additional use. The process itself is very robust and all of the DQM GRC team are very quick to respond to requests. This gives us the ability to act quickly. DQM GRC have consistently counselled us on the best way to maximise the service. I am very happy with the service and the quality of information that DQM GRC seeding has provided to us.

Dave Battson Director, Data HQ

DQM GRC have been assisting Equifax with seed monitoring for a number of years.  They have always provided a professional service with any request being actioned very promptly. The monitoring has helped to keep track of clients’ mailing activities and ensures there are no unlicensed mailings slipping through.  I would recommend DQM GRC to any company who needs assistance in this area.

Cara Mitchell Account Manager, Fulfilment, Business Operations, Equifax Ltd

Features and benefits of our data seeding services:

Identify data loss – the service quickly identifies unexpected use of your data, allowing you to react as early as possible.
Proof of ownership – every seed we generate is unique, giving you 100% confidence in the evidence of misuse.
Deter data theft – informing staff and third parties that you have protected your data can lead to less misuse.
Monitor third-party use – seeding allows you to keep an eye on your data – even when it is beyond your organisation’s direct control.
Protection from internal threats – 25% of employees would sell company data. The threat of data loss is not just from outside your company, but also from within.
Full UK coverage – our seed network provides realistic UK coverage, ensuring they remain undetected in the data.
Global coverage – we have seeds in countries around the world and can expand seed records as required to support global data sets.
Evidence– we collect and hold evidence for up to two years and will supply any requested items as evidence of data misuse for further investigation. Our highly structured logging system lets you retrieve information with ease.
Unique – all seeded records are unique and will only be used for your organisation. This strengthens the audit trail and evidence, and can be used to support legal cases.

Speak to us about data seeding solutions today

Fill in a contact form and someone will contact you within one working day to discuss your requirements.

Speak to an expert

Data seeding solutions

Prove your data is yours – and how it is used