On May 25th, 2018, implementation of the principles of the EU GDPR Regulation has become a major challenge in legal and organizational terms. At that time companies had to confront the reality with the requirements of the directive. However, they were not fully aware of how to approach the GDPR from an IT point of view. So what should you know to avoid unpleasant surprises and costly penalties?
GDPR in practice
The purpose of the EU GDPR regulations is to standarise the protection of personal data in all EU Member States. The regulations have an effect also for all companies outside Europe that process or will process the personal data of EU citizens. Due to the fact that the GDPR is based on the risk analysis of personal data, for some entrepreneurs it may turn out to be a revolutionary change.
What challenges will IT face?
According to experts, one of the key issues, and at the same time a big challenge introduced by the GDPR for IT, will be the localization of the server, which affects the international processing of personal data. Especially when the company uses cloud services. According to the GDPR, a high level of security of processed personal data is most important. Therefore, companies that use information systems should ensure adequate security of stored data, especially in the era of the Internet and increased cyber attacks.
GDPR in the company
IT is a fast-growing industry, where both new and improved system solutions as well as new threats emerge every now and then. The GDPR, however, is to be independent from the development of new technologies, and, for this reason, it does not contain specific guidelines on the protection of personal data. It only puts emphasis on encryption and pseudonymisation of personal data and on ensuring business continuity. On the other hand, it is left for companies themselves to decide on how to adapt security to the nature of their business. In addition, adapting the IT infrastructure to the new regulations must be based on an audit carried out by a specialist in the field of personal data protection. A thorough audit should address the functioning of the current security system and indicate which of its elements require modernization and adaptation to the requirements of the new regulation. The specialists are also responsible for preparing appropriate documentation, including privacy policy, which will ensure the so-called GDPR accountability.
After analyzing and assessing the protection of personal data by specialists, it is worth starting cooperation with an IT company. It will be able to reliably approach the subject of modernizing the company’s IT systems infrastructure and deal with the implementation of procedures in accordance with the guidelines of the EU Regulation. It is important to be careful when making a selection of a partner in these activities. A company that undertakes the adaptation of comapny’s software and IT infrastructure to GDPR should first analyze the personal data system, conduct consultations and audit. Failing to do so should raise our suspicions. In turn, after implementing the changes, it is extremely important to verify the modifications made and re-analyze the personal data system. It is equally important to regularly control the functionality of the system and maintain it in accordance with the GDPR. In order to avoid any irregularities in maintaining the personal data protection system, it should be continously supervised by specialists.