Consultancy services can also help businesses meet their GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) requirements as per the new global standard. Since it has been introduced in 2018, GDPR has already reached most businesses in the world, even though it is only a European regulation concerning customers and their data within the EU.

What is GDPR?

 

GDPR is a set of rules that aim to protect the information of natural persons, based in the EU. Even though it concerns businesses within the union, it also affects those that host platforms holding the information of European customers in their database. GDPR is stringent with its policies and rules, which impose big sanctions on those who mishandle customer data and prove to be non-compliant. To mitigate the risks of failing to meet these regulations, businesses must ensure that they understand the best data processing methods and requirements.

Examples of data under GDPR

 

If you are not entirely sure what falls under GDPR and whether your business qualifies as an entity processing “personal data” of European natural persons, you can find examples of identifiable information that falls under the regulation. Websites that process data such as names, photographs, email addresses, and IP addresses need to be compliant with GDPR. Other examples are postal address, and location information. taxation and security numbers, as well as age and nationality.

Does my business fall under GDPR?

 

Every company that stores and processes personal data of citizens or residents within the EU needs to comply with GDPR, regardless of how big it is and where it is based. Non-European businesses should also consider professional advice if they target customers based in Europe or have partnerships with companies from Europe. Only if a non-European company is using a subcontractor to process customer data, do the regulations apply only to the party directly involved with handling GDPR data.

In Germany, DSGVO (Datenschutz- Grundverordnung) stands for GDPR and is work similarly to the regulation standard issued by the EU.

In the UK, data protection rules have changed since the country left the EU but the country is still imposing GDPR compliance on businesses, very similar to the regulations applying in Europe.

What sanctions are there for non-compliant companies?

 

The penalties for enterprises that have breached the GDPR regulations can be substantial! Non-compliance can incur a sanction worth 4% of the total yearly turnover, which for a lot of larger companies can exceed millions of euros. GDPR applies to all small, mid-sized and large organizations, governmental agencies, e-commerce websites, and every business regardless of its activity or size.

How can GDPR advice help your business?

 

If you want to make your best efforts to stay compliant with GDPR, you may need to consider using a qualified consultant or an outsourced solution that tackles the regulations in a business environment. All activities, processes, and departments will be overseen by a third-party company that understands the complexities of the data compliance standard so that there is no misuse of data or negative repercussions such as financial sanctions.

How can a third-party company help my business stay compliant?

 

Some IT companies like we-IT have the competencies to advise on the legal matter of sharing, storing, and processing data online. This requires an in-depth understanding of the policies and their action in real-time so that a business will comply with the regulatory standards. To access compliance, IT firms that are authorized by the General Data Protection Regulation agency can perform audits on their client companies, following comprehensive analysis and reports. These can help with understanding the level of compliance and the problem areas that businesses need to focus on in order to align fully with the regulatory standard.

 

If you want to improve your GDPR status and get access to professional advice, feel free to contact our team for more information! You can also click here to find out more about our outsourced solution.