The Positives of GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation comes into force on 25 May 2018.

A recent survey by YouGov found that only 38% of business leaders and key decision makers are aware of GDPR.

For those which are aware, only 14% of organisations viewed the changes in the UK data protection regime as having a positive impact on their organisation.

The ICO has said that the GDPR represents the “the biggest change to data protection law for a generation”.

There is no doubt that many organisations will have a substantial amount of work to do to ensure (as far as possible) that they are compliant by 25 May 2018 – luckily, however, there is still time raise your compliance efforts within your organisation!

The above statistics are concerning – and we think that GDPR can be a positive asset to your organisation for a number of reasons, including:-

Security

In our ever developing digital age, enhanced security is fundamental – one only has to look at the NHS WannaCry ransomware cyber-attack to see the damage a security breach can do.

Any form of cyber-attack upon your organisation will likely lead to a data breach (and the resulting ICO penalties), loss of employee productivity and perhaps the biggest concern of all, serious and potentially irreparable reputational damage.

As such, GDPR represents an excellent opportunity to review and enhance both your cyber and physical data security measures.

Customer Relationships

The GDPR demands that all organisations who handle personal data do so in a lawful, fair and transparent manner. 

If your organisation can demonstrate best practice in this regard, then your existing client base and potential new clients are more likely to trust you – this will allow you to build stronger and more profitable relationships which will help ensure a strong future for your business.

Data Accuracy

You need to ensure that the personal data you hold is accurate – if it is inaccurate, then it is of no benefit to your organisation and could lead to errors.

If your data is accurate, but you do not have a lawful reason to process it anymore – then you must erase it. There is little point in your organisation keeping in contact with those who do not want to be in contact with you – it will simply waste precious time and money!

We hope that you can now see some of the benefits that the GDPR can bring to your organisation, if approached in the right way.

If you would like any further details in relation to data protection and GDPR compliance or if you would like to discuss your specific needs and requirements with a member of our specialist Data Protection Team, please contact your most convenient office or complete our online enquiry form on the left hand side of this page or, if you would prefer, contact a team member directly.