GDPR – A Change in the Making

Organizations all over the EU must be aware by now that the Data Protection Act (DPA) will be changed into GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Some of these changes might cause some compliance issues but there’s an easy way to avoid any problems, by raising awareness.

The more your staff and employees know about GDPR, the less chances you have, of ever violating the conditions of the reform.

What is GDPR?
GDPR gives customers control over their personal data, to modify, restrict or withdraw consent, and transfer data. For example, you decide to contact Apple to ask how they’re using your personal data because you frequently shop online on their site, and use iTunes. You tell them that they can no longer use your data because you won’t be using their services anymore, and request for them to send your personal information to Spotify instead.

Now Spotify can use your personal data to start making customized music recommendations for you. You also contact Spotify and limit how they use your data, and for what purpose.

How does it help?
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) was drafted to ensure that the privacy rights of EU citizens aren’t threatened in anyway. This new reform was designed to enable EU citizens to have better control over their personal data. The basic concept behind this instrument is to reduce regulation and to reinforce consumer trust.

In the wake of their reforms, data processors and controllers have been ordered to “implement appropriate technical and organizational measures” taking into account “the state of the art and the costs of implementation” and “the nature, scope, context, and purposes of the processing as well as the risk of varying likelihood and severity for the rights and freedoms of individuals.”

A number of security actions were suggested by the regulation that can be considered appropriate to the risk, such as encryption of personal data, ensuring the confidentiality and resilience of systems and services, the timely restoration of data after a technical issue etc.

Importance of Unified Governance
It has been established that unified governance is essential for gaining better business insights and enabling compliance with many complex regulations and the law such as GDPR or HIPAA.

Without unified data governance, businesses will not be able to comply with law regulations that are redefining client personal data usage. They will also be at risk of potential data breaches, penalties, and loss of client trust. Moreover, without client consent to access their data, companies cannot use personal client information in order to gain business insights and improve the Customer Experience.

Preparing for GDPR
Most organizations aren’t adequately prepared for the May 25th 2018 deadline, and should see this as an opportunity to begin managing their data properly. GDPR makes it even more imperative for companies to implement data and analytics solutions that help them effectively analyze, classify, and manage their data.

They need to have the technologies, processes, and advanced data and analytics capabilities in place to support proper data governance and management, and better provide a positive Customer Experience across channels.

Present & Future Impacts of GDPR
Currently, organizations need to begin preparation measures regarding their data management. In the long term, there’s an opportunity to differentiate your organization from your competition, and secure a competitive advantage by gaining client consent to use personal data and improve the Customer Experience. GDPR increases awareness of the value of personal data, giving customers more control over their own data, which is becoming a “currency” in this digitally driven era.