Data Management

Question 1

Give me an example of how you process and handle confidential information.

Answer 1

For example; in sales reports I must handle confidential purchaser information. What do I do?

1. Control access (password protection)
2. If printed, use the shredder/ confidential waste bin
3. Train support staff on do’s and dont’s

Question 2

Give me an example of how you ensure that data is kept securely throughout the sales process

Answer 2

Prepare diligently to ensure compliance

Assess any privacy risks inherent in business processes/activities

Involve IT support to make appropriate changes

Provide staff training and support on data security

Appoint a Data Protection Officer if required by GDPR

Ensure you have adequate systems to deal with a breach and subsequent notification to the ICO (within 72 hours)

Do your systems comply with all GDPR principles, including the right to be forgotten

Update your internet security, e.g. virus protection, including on desktops, laptops and mobile phones

Ensure any data already held is up to date and compliant with GDPR.

Question 3

What is copyright?

Answer 3

Copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression.

Question 4

Can copyright be transferred?

Answer 4

Like any other property, all or part of the rights in a work may be transferred by the owner to another.

Question 5

What data protection legislation are you aware of nationally?

Answer 5

Data Protection Act 2018

Question 6

Give me an example of a property information tool.

Answer 6

Land registry, Daft.ie, MyHome, Price register

Question 7

Tell me about how you extract data from a source regularly used in your role.

Answer 7

Using Land registry for information on valuaitons.

Daft and My home for info on market appraisals

Question 8

How do you validate information?

Answer 8

I call local agents to verify information. Desktop research. Use logic.

Question 9

What are the limitations of primary/secondary data sources?

Answer 9

Primary data limitations - lack of direct comparable information. Time consuming. Lots of limits.
Secondary data limitations - Lack of control over data quality , Biased, Not timely (may be obsolete)

Question 10

How do you source title information?

Answer 10

There are 2 separate systems for recording property transactions:

The registration of title system (Land Registry) which provides a State-guaranteed title to property
The registration of deeds system (Registry of Deeds) which records the existence of deeds and conveyances affecting property

Both systems are mutually exclusive. Your solicitor will know which of the 2 systems is relevant to your case. Both systems are under the control and management of the Property Registration Authority (PRA), an independent statutory body set up under the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006.

Question 11

What is the difference between a deed and a registered title?

Answer 11

A title is the ownership of a property and a deed is a written document that affects property.
A deed is an official written document declaring a person’s legal ownership of a property, while a title refers to the concept of ownership rights. … In this way, a book title and a property title are the same: neither are physical objects, but rather concepts.

Question 12

What are the differences between manual and electronic records?

Answer 12

A manual database is one that is not computerised – i.e. not available in electronic format. A telephone directory, an organiser or printed address book are examples of manual databases. An electronic database is one that is computerised, and can be accessed/manipulated using computer applications.

One of the major advantages of storing information in electronic databases is that it is easy to add new information, sort information, and search through millions of records to find one specific match. A search tries to find matches for whatever you search for.

Question 13

What is a firewall?

Answer 13

A firewall screens and checks connections to and from your computer or network according to a predefined set of rules, just like a security guard. While every computer comes with basic firewall protections, there are still numerous points of entry. It is important to make sure your network stays safe with a top-tier cybersecurity tool.

Question 14

What does encryption mean?

Answer 14

Encryption is the method by which information is converted into secret code that hides the information’s true meaning.

Question 15

What does block chain mean?

Answer 15

Blockchain is the innovative database technology that’s at the heart of nearly all cryptocurrencies. By distributing identical copies of a database across an entire network, blockchain makes it very difficult to hack or cheat the system. While cryptocurrency is the most popular use for blockchain presently, the technology offers the potential to serve a very wide range of applications. E.g. Banking, asset transfer, voting.

Question 16

How can you protect electronic data from viruses?

Answer 16

1. Install and update malware software
2. Ensure IT devices have the latest security patches installed
3. Ensure administrator privileges prevent access to unauthorised users or guests
4. Only install software you need and from reputable sources
5. Back-up data regularly (on and off-line)
6. Segment your hard drive or network to limit damage
7. Use two-factor authentication - Apple iPhones use this technology
8. Recognise what a ransomware attack could look like
9. Ensure good staff training and data security processes

Question 17

What are the impacts of viruses?

Answer 17

Loss of data

Financial cost to meet ransom demand

Risk that decryption key won’t be released

Disruption to serve

Reputational damage

Breach of GDPR

Question 18

How do you manage general information and data on a project?

Answer 18

The process includes:

1. Collection of project information E.g. from daft, myhome, newspapers, gov articles.
2. Storage is important for: analysis, identifying historical trends, developing lessons learned, satisfying legislative requirements etc. Appropriate controls – including user access, export controls, versioning, change control, audit, and back-ups – must be established.
3. Curation - gathering and organising information relevant so that it can add value.
4. Distribution involves consideration of questions such as: what information is to be distributed, to whom, in what format, how often, under what circumstances and using what security protocols?
5. Archiving takes place after a period of time, usually determined by a mix of company policy and judgement. Because of the large volumes of information archived, an effective classification system that anticipates future uses is essential.
6. Destruction – deleting because the information is no longer deemed important especially in comparison to the on-going storage costs and legislation e.g. privacy laws.

Question 19

Tell me about the increasing use of computerised central project databases.

Answer 19

Data is increasingly seen as a corporate asset that can be used to make more-informed business decisions, improve marketing campaigns, optimize business operations and reduce costs, all with the goal of increasing revenue and profits.
But a lack of proper data management can saddle organizations with incompatible data silos, inconsistent data sets and data quality problems that limit their ability to run business intelligence (BI) and analytics applications – or, worse, lead to faulty findings.
Data management has also grown in importance as businesses are subjected to an increasing number of regulatory compliance requirements, including data privacy and protection laws such as GDPR.

Project-based working relies on accurate and timely information and data for teams and stakeholders to make informed decisions and fulfil their role in a cost-efficient and effective way.
Effective information management enables project teams to use their time, resources and expertise effectively to make decisions and to fulfil their roles.

Question 20

What are the Benefits of electronic data management?

Answer 20

• Direct 24 hour access to information.
• Aids faster document approvals.
• Supports the Green Agenda.
• Provides audit trail.
• Less chance of losing information.

Question 21

What is BIM and how can it be used?

Answer 21

BIM is a process for creating and managing information on a construction project throughout its whole life cycle. As part of this process, a coordinated digital description of every aspect of the built asset is developed, using a set of appropriate technology. It is likely that this digital description includes a combination of information-rich 3D models and associated structured data such as product, execution and handover information.

For example, a building owner may find evidence of a leak in his building. Rather than exploring the physical building, he may turn to the model and see that a water valve is located in the suspect location. He could also have in the model the specific valve size, manufacturer, part number, and any other information ever researched in the past, pending adequate computing power.

Question 22

Which records are manually kept in your office and why?

Answer 22

1. Business License
2. Keep tax records for at least seven years. Before scanning tax documents and discarding them, verify that you will not need them for other purposes. In some cases, auditors, creditors or insurance companies may require you to keep them for longer periods.
3. Insurance documents
4. Employer identification numbers (EIN)

Question 23

What AVMs are you aware of?

Answer 23

Examples: Zillows Zestimate. Hometrack is market leader in UK.

Question 24

Explain the growing use of AVMs in the industry.

Answer 24

Automated valuation models (AVMs) are statistically based computer programs that use real estate information such as comparable sales, property characteristics, and price trends to provide a current estimate of market value for a specific property. An AVM report provides a written summary of the results

Question 25

What is ISO 9001?

Answer 25

ISO 9001 is the world’s foremost quality management standard, used by hundreds of thousands of organizations in over 170 countries around the globe. It sets out the essential requirements for a practical and effective quality management system (QMS) which is, in essence, a system for minimising risk and maximising opportunity.

Question 26

What are the requirements of ISO 9001?

Answer 26

The ISO 9001 standard requires your organisation address seven key areas – also known as clauses – in order to achieve continual improvement within your Quality Management System:
 Context of the organisation.
 Leadership.
 Planning.
 Support.
 Operation.
 Performance evaluation.
 Improvement.

Question 27

Why is quality management important?

Answer 27

“Quality management” ensures superior quality products and services.

Question 28

What is an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)?

Answer 28

Electronic Document Management, or EDM, is the process of managing information, data and documents digitally. … There is a wide variety of data formats, including information found in business documents such as contracts and invoices, customer data, financial data and intellectual property, etc.

Question 29

What is data redundancy?

Answer 29

Data redundancy occurs when the same piece of data is stored in two or more separate places and is a common occurrence in many businesses.

Question 30

Under GDPR , what do you do if there is a breach?

Answer 30

Under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), Ireland-based organisations must report data breaches to the DPC (Data Protection Commission) within 72 hours of becoming aware of them. It applies to any kind of data breach – i.e. any time the confidentiality, integrity or availability of information is compromised.
Failure to disclose an incident could lead to penalties under the GDPR’s second tier of fines – up to €10 million or 2% of your organisation’s annual global turnover, whichever is higher.

Question 31

Who is responsible for supervising GDPR compliance?

Answer 31

OCM must abide to the new GDPR rules when handling the publics personal information about the individual to ensure it can operate as it needs to but not compromise the personal data it holds on an individual. GDPR Compliance Officer is responsible for training staff members and staying up to date with compliance to GDPR legislation. She is responsible for reporting GDPR breaches to the DPC..