[D]avid Allen IT Solutions has joined forces with Cartmell Shepherd to launch a new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) support service. This comes as the EU Commissions proposal for the introduction of GDPR gets ever nearer to the 25 May 2018 application date.
There has been a lot of talk in the media about GDPR, however research shows that many businesses are still struggling to understand what GDPR is or how it affects their business.
The truth is, GDPR is important new legislation that applies across Europe and the Government has confirmed that the UK’s decision to leave the EU will not affect the commencement of GDPR and therefore UK businesses need to comply with the new regulations.
Every business holds personal data, which can be deemed as any information that relates to an individual, who can be identified directly or indirectly. This might be employee records containing names and addresses or client data such as contact names or email addresses. Businesses can assume that if the data they currently hold already falls under the Data Protection Act then it will also fall under GDPR.
GDPR does not only apply to electronic records held on computers, laptops, phones or network servers, but it also applies to paper records stored in filing cabinets. In a nutshell GDPR applies to every piece of data held by an organisation.
No longer a tick box compliance exercise, the EU Commission propose that GDPR will strengthen data protection for individuals by introducing unified rules that businesses must adhere to in relation to the personal data that they store. Loss of personal data, or a breach in data security can now result in substantial fines to the organisation of €20Million or 4% of the organisation’s global annual turnover, whichever is higher, enough to put most businesses out of operation.
Recognising the risk to businesses David Allen IT Solutions and Cartmell Shepherd have teamed up to offer a GDPR support service to ensure businesses understand the requirements of GDPR and what is needed to become compliant with the new regulations.
David Arnold, Director of David Allen IT Solutions said: “The right technologies are essential to work alongside policies and procedures to ensure adherence with GDPR compliance and will give business owners peace of mind that their personal data, and company data, is secure and protected”.
Scott Garson, Practice Manager at Cartmell Shepherd said: “GDPR and the new Data Protection Bill are the biggest changes in data protection legislation this decade and organisations have a responsibility to get it right. Preparation is the key to success and we’re very pleased to be working with the experts at David Allen IT to offer the systems and technology, helping clients on the road to compliance.”
To find out more about the technologies that support GDPR compliance please contact David Arnold on 01228 711888 or email [email protected].
To access the GDPR planning and preparation pack, which includes a review of your current data protection policies and provisions, please contact Claire Davies on 01228 516666 or [email protected]