The human factor
But integrators that want in on the privacy scene had better be prepared to deal with human issues as much as technological concerns. The privacy consulting craft calls for a certain amount of handholding and mentoring.
Ruggiero says his company is sometimes called upon to mediate between a Web enterprise's marketeers, who want to mine customer data for all it's worth, and user advocates, who don't want to scare off customers. "It's always an internal struggle," Ruggiero says. "We almost have to play referee."
Emerald Solutions' Marshall describes his privacy work as balancing the interests of a client's stakeholders: customers, activist groups and the government.
In addition to keeping the peace among a Web merchant's constituencies, privacy consultants also may be asked to serve as mentors. Lucas says he and other Persona personnel serve as mentors to chief privacy officers (CPO). "We can get them up to speed much more quickly" through mentoring, says Lucas.
Ernst & Young also finds itself working with CPOs. "We spend a lot of time comforting them," says Tretick, who says the fledgling CPO job can be a lonely one at times. Thus, Tretick and his fellow consultants do a fair amount of matchmaking, as well, introducing CPOs to their peers for the sake of camaraderie.
In short, privacy services can be a pretty touchy-feely business for a market ignited by sophisticated data capture and analysis. "It's not just a technology or infrastructure issue," Tretick says. "It involves every aspect of business."
And a healthy one at that, for the well-rounded consultant.
