5 Steps to Prepare your Organisation for the GDPR 🚀

In less than 3 months the new European Data Protection Regulation, the GDPR, will come into effect and all businesses dealing with European citizens' data will be required to comply.

So, it is now time for every business to take action in order to find themselves prepared by 25th May 2018, without a last-minute panic. This blog post will highlight five steps to effectively begin your journey to GDPR compliance.

1. Be aware

You and all your employees should be aware that the data protection law is changing. Particularly, all key people in your organisation should be informed about the main changes that the GDPR will enforce, and start assessing its impact on their work, and your customers.

Spreading awareness ahead of time encourages your workforce to embrace the GDPR and it gives them breathing room to adopt it into their daily work, so that when the time comes, there are no surprises.

2. Audit your data

In order to be able to adapt to the GDPR and choose the right path, it is essential that you audit the data you deal with. You should be able to identify and document the type of personal data you hold, where it comes from and who you share it with.

Even if you think your business doesn't need to worry about your exposure to the GDPR, it's better to check in advance and it's more likely than not that your organisation is affected.

3. Review processes

It is essential that you review your data processing in the light of the individuals' rights the GDPR introduces. For instance, you should have a process in place to guarantee the "right of access". This means you will need to be able to easily retrieve users’ data and provide them in a machine-readable format.

Analysing your degree of preparation in fulfilling these requests will help you assess whether you should change your processes and how. If you want to learn more about the main points of the GDPR you can read our previous post The Key Points of the GDPR

4. Collaborate

Whether you are a data controller or a data processor it is vital for the continued success of your business to be fully GDPR compliant. As data is rarely handled by only one organisation, it is imperative that businesses communicate their GDPR compliance plans and that they collaborate to guarantee citizens' rights are protected, in the most sustainable and efficient way possible.

You should verify that all businesses you share data with are GDPR compliant as failing to do so could undermine your reputation.

5. Plan

Once you have analysed the data you deal with and revised your processes you will be able to identify the priorities your business must focus on. Forging a strategy is vital in order to be prepared and avoid future headaches, or worse, financial sanctions!

In addition, having a clear plan to share with clients and customers can help you gain trust and boost your brand image.

To conclude, awareness of the GDPR principles, a good understanding of the data you hold and the processes you have in place, collaboration with stakeholders and the creation of a strategy, are fundamental steps that organisations should take to be GDPR ready.

Claimable is committed to helping our customers comply with the GDPR and, as a data processor, we are committed to full GDPR-compliance by May 2018.