GDPR, and ensuring you’re ready for change
GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation – set to come into full effect Friday, May 25th, 2018 was adopted by the European Union in 2016 to replace an older set of regulations and laws. The intent of the GDPR is to provide more protection to the personal data collected by organizations. Although GDPR is being put into place in the EU, it will have far reaching consequences – including for those of us here in Canada. Even without a physical presence in the EU, any organization who processes the data of citizens of the EU regarding: 1) offering goods and services to an individual in the EU; 2) monitoring the behavior of individuals that occurs in the EU is subject to the terms and conditions laid out within the GDPR.
Organizations will need to make changes in order to ensure that requirements concerning data minimization, accuracy, accountability, purpose and storage limitations, and data protection are being met, as well as demonstrating compliance. Companies larger than 250 individuals will need to hire a Data Protection Officer (DPO), to ensure they meet the criteria.
In order to bring your organization up to the new standard, there are a number of changes you need to implement within your organization. These must include: only processing data for which consent has been given, taking appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure security, notifying the supervisory authority of any breach, as well as deletion of data when requested in a timely manner.
As a full service IT company, MicroAge is fully equipped to help lead you and your business through the complicated path of establishing a solid IT infrastructure as it relates to GDPR. We can assist you in finding and installing the correct security devices such as firewalls, managed anti-virus, and updates; backup devices such as servers and other storage options; as well as consulting with your organization.
Contact us today to keep you and your business informed!