Your Quick Guide to GDPR

“The protection of natural persons in relation to the processing of personal data is a fundamental right” – The EU Council.

WHAT IS GDPR?

May 2018 is a date to remember. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will go into effect in spring next year. Their purpose? To protect the personally identifiable information (PII) of European Union citizens.

This means that non-EU companies should comply with these new regulations as well, since the law aims at securing EU user data no matter where it’s being distributed. Whether we’re talking about micro or multinational businesses, they are all affected without exemption.

The new regulations are all about unprecedented and globally-applicable governmental guidance which defines how personally identifiable information is handled corporately. So it’s necessary to take a few steps to secure any company against potential financial consequences.

If policies are breached, fines can reach even up to 4 percent of a company’s total global revenue or up to 20 mln Euros. Ensuring the protection of privacy at the highest level is each company’s main concern.

WHAT IS NEEDED TO BE GDPR-COMPLIANT?

• INTEGRATE YOUR MARKETING AND IT DEPARTMENTS. Think of your IT department as your best friend. If you use martech technology, invest in and use secure and customized IT solutions in line with the regulations.
• ENSURE THE USER HAS A WAY TO PROCESS THEIR DATA UNCONDITIONALLY. Allow them to control, monitor, verify, modify, and delete any information which refers to the user.
• EMPLOY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL OR EXTERNAL PROVIDER, if possible. GDPR does not require smaller operations to hire a data officer (as it assigns liability to the data processors and controllers). However, you should consider hiring a Data Protection Officer (DPO).
• CREATE TOOLS THAT WILL ENSURE PRIVACY. Implement processes with your DPO and your IT to ensure the proper handling and protection of data. Handle user data carefully and diligently by applying a solution that works best for you.
• COMPLETE AN IN-DEPTH AUDIT OF THE DATA SECURITY SYSTEM YOU CURRENTLY USE. By assessing accurately your current data processes, you will be able to identify high-risk areas and apply solutions before the regulations are enforced.
• MAKE SURE YOUR THIRD-DATA PROVIDERS ARE GDPR-COMPLIANT. No matter if it’s your CRM service provider, marketing agency, or email marketing service provider. These data processors can get you into trouble if even a few aspects of your data processing aren’t in compliance.
• TRAIN THE STAFF WHO HANDLES INFORMATION. Whether your employees are working with customers or handles the CRM systems, they all need to be GDPR-educated.

Meet the data protection officer: DPO

Following the GDPR requirements, companies dealing with large amounts of data are required to hire professionals dedicated to managing all aspects of GDPR compliance.

The DPO is considered an additional staff to what the companies might currently have on board, and is regarded as the key source of compliance and liability for GDPR.

“The GDPR operates with an understanding that data collection and processing provides the basic engine that most businesses run on, but it unapologetically strives to protect that data every step of the way, while giving the consumer ultimate control over what happens to it” MarTechToday

Others about GDPR?

While TrustArc/IAPP survey shows that 84% of US companies expect to be ready by May 2018, Forrester predicted

GDPR is not a revolution, it’s an evolution.