It’s been almost nine months since Europe’s GDPR legislation was introduced, so how do you think your company is coping with the new regulations and are they always compliant?
IT Pro recently shared the findings of the bi-annual Dell Digital Transformation Index, which found that almost one-third of businesses don’t believe that they’re fully compliant with GDPR legislation.
What’s more, just over one-quarter of those surveyed admitted that they didn’t think their firm could be trusted with consumer data, while 16 per cent revealed that they think they’ll find it difficult to prove that they’re trustworthy to their customers.
It appears that one of the biggest problems is that companies are struggling to keep up with the fast pace at which the digital environment is changing.
Over three-quarters of respondents to the Dell survey said their business could be more digitally savvy. However, budget constraints, a lack of skills, and challenges relating to privacy and data security were the main reasons cited for companies failing to keep pace with the evolving digital environment.
Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies Michael Dell told the news provider that businesses can’t afford to be left behind.
“Organisations need to modernise their technology to participate in the unprecedented opportunity of digital transformation. The time to act is now,” he asserted.
It’s not only businesses that have become more aware of the digital privacy landscape since the introduction of GDPR legislation. Consumers have also become more savvy and are increasingly aware of the importance of keeping their personal data secure.
Figures published by the European Commission recently revealed that, since GDPR came into force in May last year, data protection authorities within Europe have received over 95,000 complaints from citizens.
In a joint statement, first vice-president Timmermans, vice-president Ansip, and commissioners Jourova and Gabriel, stressed the importance of consumer awareness when it comes to data protection.
They said that the aim of the GDPR legislation was to “empower people and give them more control over one of the most valuable resources in the modern economy – their data”.
“We can only reach this goal if and when people have become fully aware of their rights and the consequences of their decisions,” they added.
Although GDPR only applies in Europe, it is hard to set geographical boundaries for digital data that can travel around the globe. The European Commission also noted that there is an appetite for some form of international modern data protection regime.
This is an area in which Europe is leading the way, the organisation claimed, pointing to the “recent adoption of our mutual adequacy findings with Japan”, which is described as “the world’s largest area of free and safe data flows”.
If you’re not sure how well your company is doing in terms of GDPR compliance, it is advisable to explore the issues further and seek outside assistance if you feel you have skills gaps in your firm that will be challenging to fill in the short term.
And if you need assistance in a specific area of your business, such as with your life science sales pipeline, contact a specialist firm like Voicentric to take advantage of our expertise in this area.
