A named Data Protection Officer on retainer.
DPO-as-a-Service for the DPDP Act 2023. A virtual DPO from the Decipher practice, or a practising advocate from our legal panel, acts as your DPO for a fixed monthly fee. No full-time hire, no hourly bills. Our compliance platform is included.
What is DPO-as-a-Service from dcomply?
DPO-as-a-Service gives your company a named Data Protection Officer on a monthly retainer, so you meet the DPDP Act without hiring one full time. It is run by Decipher Consultancy Services, a Gurugram compliance consultancy working since 2014.
There are three tiers. Virtual DPO (Rs 34,999 a month) gives you a named DPO from the Decipher practice as your published contact under Section 8(9), who handles data principal questions and requests, reviews compliance every month and reports every quarter. Advocate DPO (Rs 89,999 a month) appoints a practising advocate from our legal panel, who signs off DPIAs, liaises with the Data Protection Board and responds to breaches within 4 hours. SDF / Enterprise DPO (from Rs 1,49,999 a month) covers Significant Data Fiduciaries and groups. All tiers run on a 12-month term, with 18% GST extra.
Last reviewed by the Decipher compliance practice.
Pick the DPO your risk needs.
Same prices as our pricing page. 12-month term. GST at 18% is added on the invoice.
Virtual DPO
Named DPO from the Decipher practice, published as your Section 8(9) contact. Data principal questions and requests handled. Monthly review. Quarterly DPO report. Platform included.
Request a ScopeAdvocate DPO
A practising advocate from our legal panel appointed as your DPO. Legal sign-off on DPIAs and notices. Data Protection Board liaison. Breach response within 4 hours. Board reporting.
Request a ScopeSDF / Enterprise DPO
For Significant Data Fiduciaries and groups. India-based named DPO plus a reserve DPO, multi-entity cover, DPDP with GDPR, custom SLA. Quoted per engagement.
Request a ScopeNeed the whole DPDP programme run, not only the DPO role? DPDP Managed from ₹59,999 a month includes a Virtual DPO.
Which DPO does your company need?
| Your situation | What the DPDP Act asks | Our tier |
|---|---|---|
| Most companies (not a Significant Data Fiduciary) | Publish the contact of a DPO, if you have one, or of a person who can answer questions on your processing (Section 8(9)) | Virtual DPO |
| Regulated or sensitive data at scale (BFSI, health, children’s data) | Same duty, but higher breach and penalty exposure, and regulator scrutiny alongside the Board | Advocate DPO |
| Notified Significant Data Fiduciary | Appoint a DPO based in India, responsible to the Board, plus an independent data auditor and periodic DPIAs (Section 10). Penalty for breach of these duties: up to Rs 150 crore | SDF / Enterprise DPO |
What your DPO actually does.
Your published contact
Named on your privacy notice and website as the person data principals can reach. Questions answered and logged.
Rights requests
Access, correction, erasure, nomination and grievance requests handled within your SLA, with a record of each decision.
Monthly review
Consent records, new processing, vendor changes and open risks reviewed on the platform every month.
Breach response
Triage, Board and data principal intimation under Rule 7, and the 72-hour detailed report. Within 4 hours on Advocate DPO.
DPIAs and notices
Reviewed before new high-risk processing goes live. Legally signed off on the Advocate DPO tier.
Reporting
A quarterly DPO report for management. A board-ready report on Advocate and SDF tiers.
Cheaper than a hire, without being cheap.
A full-time in-house DPO in India usually costs ₹8 lakh to ₹40 lakh a year before recruitment and training. A Virtual DPO costs about ₹4,19,988 a year, with a named person, a reserve team behind them and our platform included. Read the full DPO cost guide →
DPO-as-a-Service, answered.
What is DPO-as-a-Service?
DPO-as-a-Service (also called a virtual DPO or outsourced DPO) means a qualified person outside your payroll acts as your Data Protection Officer on a monthly retainer. At dcomply that person is a named DPO from the Decipher practice, or a practising advocate from our legal panel on the Advocate DPO tier.
Is a DPO mandatory under the DPDP Act?
A DPO is mandatory only for a Significant Data Fiduciary, who must appoint a DPO based in India and responsible to its Board (Section 10). Every other Data Fiduciary must still publish the contact details of a DPO, if it has one, or of a person who can answer questions about its processing (Section 8(9)). Most companies use a virtual DPO to fill that role properly.
How much does a virtual DPO cost in India?
At dcomply, Virtual DPO is Rs 34,999 a month, Advocate DPO is Rs 89,999 a month, and SDF or enterprise DPO cover starts at Rs 1,49,999 a month. All are on a 12-month term with 18% GST extra. A full-time in-house DPO usually costs Rs 8 lakh to Rs 40 lakh a year. See the full cost comparison.
What is the difference between Virtual DPO and Advocate DPO?
Both give you a named, reachable DPO. Virtual DPO suits most companies: your DPO answers data principal questions, handles requests, reviews your compliance monthly and reports quarterly. Advocate DPO adds legal weight: a practising advocate signs off DPIAs and notices, liaises with the Data Protection Board, responds to breaches within 4 hours and reports to your Board. Choose it if you are regulated, handle sensitive data at scale, or may be notified as a Significant Data Fiduciary.
Can an outsourced DPO be the DPO of a Significant Data Fiduciary?
Section 10 requires the DPO of a Significant Data Fiduciary to be based in India and responsible to the Board of Directors. Our SDF / Enterprise DPO tier is built for this, with an India-based named DPO, a reserve DPO and a direct reporting line to your Board. Get your own legal view on how your Board records the appointment.
Is DPO-as-a-Service included in DPDP Managed?
Yes. The DPDP Managed retainer (from Rs 59,999 a month) runs your whole DPDP programme and includes a Virtual DPO. Take DPO-as-a-Service on its own if your programme is already in place and you only need the DPO role filled.