Since the start of the pandemic, the new way of working has led many people to become more dependent than ever on connecting online in remote environments. This change has resulted in a significant increase in cyber breaches.

The European Union (EU) implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018 to regulate the processing of personal data for all EU citizens. As high-profile attacks continue to grab headlines, many countries are starting to seriously look at implementing data privacy legislation to put more emphasis on data protection in addition to data protection. ” encourage the authorities to strengthen the application of legal frameworks in the years to come. month. As the law’s third anniversary approaches, it is important to reconsider how organizations can most effectively maintain institution-wide knowledge of the technical and legal implementations necessary to ensure successful compliance.

Achieve continuous compliance

Minimizing the data collected and stored is essential, and the legal basis for keeping all data must be continually updated and kept in a place where it can be easily referenced. It is beneficial to have a formal process that regularly reviews the data collected and stored to determine if changes are warranted. Organizations should also perform routine checks of their privacy policies to ensure that they are using the most up-to-date language in areas such as opt-ins and cookie consent. Remember to update employee, customer, and supplier contracts as needed.

Best practices for working with third-party vendors

More and more organizations are turning to third-party vendors to help them manage data, cybersecurity, or backup. As companies recruit new partners, they need to ensure that they are also compliant. Even though a third-party vendor is responsible for an organization’s data processing, the company still shares some responsibility for information security. This is why organizations should have a written agreement with their vendors to ensure that they adhere to all GDPR guidelines and implement appropriate security.

Long-term technology investments for continuous data protection

GDPR requires proof of compliance, which is why companies need to document their data protection procedures and invest in the right tools to help protect the privacy of employees and consumers. Early reporting is also key to reducing damage and fines, which means there is a need to use processes that can quickly detect and report internal or external data breaches.

Employees and consumers alike have confidence that the organizations they do business with will protect their sensitive information. However, data stored on commonly used platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace is vulnerable to data loss caused by malicious threats that exploit malware or ransomware, as well as human error and sync issues. . This is why Article 32 of the GDPR recommends that organizations possess the ability to quickly restore access to data records if any of the above incidents occur. Businesses should seek out a SaaS backup solution to eliminate the risk of data loss, ensure business continuity, and ensure compliance. This technology must provide cloud-to-cloud, automated and fully encrypted backups on tightly secured AWS servers with point-in-time recovery.

Today’s savvy users expect to see an atmosphere of respect and transparency from the organization they choose to support. As data privacy continues to gain in importance, adhering to GDPR standards can help companies promote trust and may even help strengthen relationships with employees and the wider community.