Why is GDPR compliance important in the upcoming days?
The term personal data is the most vital and identifiable asset that humans hold right from the time of birth. It can range through identifiable facets that are physical, genetic, commercial, mental, cultural and social. In total, everything that goes assigned to a person or belongs to him marks as the personal data of that individual. While living in a world of business happenings and shared data culture, there are several sensitive traits besides general personal data. These can relate to genetic, biometric and health information alongside other personal data, revealing political opinions, ethnic origin and ideological conventions. As we stressed upon the word personal data, almost every organization gets connected to data information. It can be client data, employee data, and even it can extend beyond the borders. While connectivity and business activities got far-flung, it saw the very need for organizations to safeguard their customer data and privacy.
What is GDPR?
As data protection was a vital concern for European nations, GDPR -General Data Protection Regulation came into existence on 25th May 2018. GDPR is the most solid and stiff law that holds the data privacy of EU citizens. It nourishes the right of the European citizens to protect and safeguard their information. The regulation also replaced the outdated and incompetent data protection directive of 1995. GDPR states the requirements with which organizations and businesses must comply to protect the personal data of EU citizens. With a phenomenal rise in data breaches and data thefts, GDPR compliance attestation has become the benchmark security concerning data privacy. Keeping aside the certification costs, it has become a mandate for businesses to comply with the regulation, pointing to data security concerns.
Where do GDPR norms apply?
GDPR applies to all business organizations and firms within the EU. The GDPR compliance solutions also extend outside the EU, to all organizations connected to it concerning the exchange of goods, services or information. The scope and implication of the compliance are clear that it extends to a broad reach. It means that every organization in the world will need to directly or indirectly comply with the regulation. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) applies to all the organizations with an establishment in the EU and any organization that provide goods and services to data subjects within the EU. This means GDPR applies even in UAE or gulf region to the companies that interact with or provide services to the EU citizens. If your company accounts for more than 250 employees, compliance is required. In the other case, with fewer employees, and if your data processing affects the data subjects, implies compliance. According to a PwC survey, almost every company in the US consider GDPR compliance as a necessity for data privacy. Not only concerned with EU, UK and US, but GDPR norms also stick to all international reaches as a standard that ensures reliability to organizational customers. In addition, GDPR compliance companies stand with a high-level reputation and fame, offering customer privacy and confidentiality at their peak.
Adhering to GDPR compliance
Getting your GDPR compliance report is not that easy as you might think. With that in perspective, choosing GDPR compliance services from consulting companies can drive you easy-efficient. The core principle of GDPR revolves around customer consent. Here, a controller determines how and why data is collected, and the processor handles the technical processing of the data on behalf of the controller. Both of them require to get the consent from customers who are known as the data subjects. Several factors determine the compliance effectiveness.
1.Storage of information
2.Information content
3.Type of information content
4.Data accessibility
5.Inclusion of new data
6.Document retention
7.Document implementation
8.Document protection
9. Written compliance proof
While many organizations possess an in-house data protection officer, understanding the need for GDPR compliance consulting is inevitable. Get to know the best guidelines and policies of compliance by having the right choice of GDPR compliance services for your organization. Let us pinpoint some of the best protocols to follow.
1.Data Mapping
What if the in-house officer is unaware of the type, trait, and location of your organizational data? It is where data mapping and identification have a keen role in GDPR compliance. A detailed data mapping is only possible with a combined discussion of IT stakeholders. An effective data management plan needs every organizational department to converge, identify and explore its valuable data information.
2. Knowing the data trait
Identifying your data is keen, but without knowing its trait or characteristics is worthless. Data contents should be identified and mapped according to their traits. Companies looking for GDPR certification, irrespective of size and domain, should know if their data is legally bounded or not. Explore your data characteristics and their legal compliance.
3. Taking user approval
Data consent or approval is another thing to look at with caution and care. Companies should have the consent of their customers for effectively utilizing personal data. And at the same time, individuals also have the right to know their data flow, use and storage. They also have the right to question any inappropriate usage concerning data privacy. So, adhering to customer consent is one big thing in GDPR compliance solution protocols.
4.Giving security alerts
Being ready to act and sending security alerts at the right time is another thing to follow. Companies should always have the availability of technical resources to guard data breaches. With breach detection, companies will have to tell their customers specifically about the issue. It has a specific time frame, and penalties can sprout if delayed in informing the supervisory authority.
5.Monitoring the data flow
Data flow or data transfer hold a high priority, foreseeing the requisites of compliance. Any data should adhere to norms set by the GDPR in order to move out of the EU. GDPR imposes companies to monitor the data flow, complying with data privacy regulations. Companies also need to have a third eye on sensitive information flow in and out of the organization.
Importance of GDPR for Businesses
GDPR compliance has become the backbone regulation of almost every company as they might get connected to the European soil. The rule imposes a single law on the entire continent, but the scope goes far-flung. Even if you do not have a presence in the EU, GDPR compliance attestation in the Middle East and the US has become an immense need. Complying with the regulation, companies have many benefits. EU believes that by complying with single data legislation, companies ought to have flexible superpower monitoring. It ensures customer reliability and can gain you fame and recognition as a top-level company adhering to a universal security standard. And more importantly, you stay data breachdefensive on all possible means. It can also free your thoughts on hefty penalties of data breaches with non-compliance.
Importance of GDPR for Customers
With rising data breaches and data exposure, through GDPR norms and compliance, customers have data security. It has become a mandatory barrier regulation for unwanted use of data that organizations need to comply. Be it an email-id, personal identification traits or sensitive data- the compliance regulation allows strict monitoring of the data flow. Data portability is one significant right enforced by GDPR where subjects can get their data that a data controller hold on them. Customers have the right to know the data processing more transparently and re-use data for their own purposes. They will also have the provision to cancel or revoke the usage of their private data within an organization. With the GDPR compliance solution, they ought to have easy access and control. And at the same time, if a customer gets hacked, they must be well-informed about the scenario, and the organizations must ensure that the incident gets reported on time. Customer consent is the root of GDPR compliance, where the customer enjoys the privilege of appropriate usage with their permission.
GDPR – Vital to websites & applications
While e-commerce websites and other business websites collect chunks of data from individuals for ongoing business activities, GDPR compliance has become vital. User consent is one big thing a GDPR compliant website should hold. With a view of hefty fines for data breaches, the regulation made it mandatory for every business website and application to unlock the compliance certification. With this, you can avoid potential data breaches and unwanted data exposure of the UE citizens. European authorities target the protection of privacy and integrity of their people while engaging in business websites, e-commerce sites and other web applications. Many things can make a commercial website or application compliant. Adding a cookie pop-up for the consent, approval for any marketing activities, updating your privacy policies, strict monitor & control, along with a ready plan of action, can make you a strong- fit.
Penalty for non-compliance
As data privacy is uncompromisable, the compliance made it mandatory for EU companies and extended firms worldwide with a presence to comply before the deadline. Concerning breach identification and reporting process, any identified breach should be notified within 72 hours of becoming aware that it has happened. Companies that were not able to comply with the regulation faced hefty fines concerning the data insecurity of their customers. Any organization holding the EU data had to face a penalty of up to 20 million or 4 % of global revenue for the fiscal year, whichever was higher. The scenario of heavy penalties made it a solid norm or regulation for data security and privacy. Complying with the GDPR was not something to ease around, and companies are exploring their best way to adhere to the norms and pack the certification. With the choice of GDPR compliance and consulting services, firms are likely to get a more solid grip on security measures. Get all in one benefit of personal data classification, gap assessment, impact assessment, policies, consultation and GDO service with a consulting agency for a stand-alone assessment.
Lastly, most of the users may be aware of ISO 27701, a similar area, so you have the statement for better search and hook. GDPR (Act) and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 (Privacy Standard) get designed to assist organizations in understanding, managing and reducing risks around personal information. Both intended to protect consumers by laying out the groundwork for ethical data privacy standards. They complement each other and work together to achieve the same goals.
