Why you need an expert, so you can be an expert in your business
Data protection laws
You’ve heard about how GDPR regulations might change the way you do business, but the seminar was boring and you had to get to your next meeting. You’re somewhat sure you know what you’re doing when it comes to collecting customer information, but you’re not quite sure why everyone’s making such a big noise about it. Before you make the mistake of ignoring your company’s need to become GDPR compliant, hire a data compliance consultant that knows what you need to do.
The right side of regulation
Just as you’re the expert in running your business, you rely on experts to manage aspects of it that aren’t your area of speciality. You hire an accountant to manage the money side of things, and a sales team to usher in customers. You hire a secretary to handle bookings and answer the telephone, and you’ve hired an administrator to make sure your paperwork is perfectly taken care of. In the same way, you won’t leave your company’s compliance requirements to fester, hiring a data compliance consultant will help your business stay on the right side of regulation.
Find the right data compliance consultant
A quick little online search revealed so much about the world of data compliance to me, as I wrote this. Finding the right data compliance consultant for your business is not as simple as a quick online search, and it’s definitely nowhere as easy as I imagined it would be. If data compliance consultants have as easy a job as some imagine, or we’re as good at ensuring data compliance as many of them claim to be, then I’m somewhat certain that the more a quarter of Irish firms who are not GDPR compliant, would’ve had their compliance issues sorted out far sooner. Ultimately, when you’re looking to hire a data compliance consultant, they’ll need to be:
- Qualified: You wouldn’t hire a cow to herd sheep. Don’t hire an unqualified consultant.
- Experienced: Asking for references, testimonials, or case studies, of their programmes and initiatives isn’t a nicety. It’s essential.
- Integrative: Your data compliance consultant should be working with your team, within your team, and alongside your team. They should be learning about your business processes, contracts, and objectives.
- Easy to confirm: It’s sadly laughable, but our research reveals that many alleged GDPR experts’ websites are, in and for themselves, not GDPR compliant. You wouldn’t hire a baker who has never baked a cake, would you? Nah, we didn’t think so.
- Thorough: Hiring or partnering with a data compliance consultant is not so simple, but once you’ve found the right one, you’ll be establishing a relationship of trust. And, in business, as you well know, the best trust begins by signing a contract. If a purported GDPR expert doesn’t offer you a contract to sign, you may want to take your pen, and your pennies, elsewhere.
Saving you money, and your reputation
While the GDPR sets out a framework to ensure the protection of personal data, it also outlines the ways in which companies like yours could go through troublesome times, due to non-compliance. If your business is found to be non-compliant, you may be issued with:
- Rather terrifying fines and penalties
- Warnings and letters of demand
- A demand to stop all data processing
- An immediate suspension of your ability to transfer data across countries or regions
Of course, the fines payable should be enough of a deterrent, but the idea that the very processes your business operates on could come to a halt should terrify you more. Without your processes, your business stops operating. And, without operational activities, what happens next? We think you know.
System optimisation
Before you get too down in the dumps about the long road ahead to compliance, here’s a good slice of optimisation pie for you to consider. A roadmap towards ensuring your company is GDPR compliant will enable and encourage a company-wide optimisation of your systems and services. Your business will move faster, generate more income, and stay on the right side of regulation as it grows. Creating and implementing GDPR compliant systems and processes is just one way you can build a better business, starting today.
Let’s get started
Shifting your business to the right side of regulation begins by hiring the right data compliance consultant. Using technologies like Serity, and expert minds like Philipa, ProPrivacy helps your business build a roadmap towards GDPR compliance.
Please note: ProPrivacy acknowledges that there often exists confusion related to terminology linked to GDPR implementation. For the sake of clarity, when ProPrivacy refers to data compliance, this term includes the full spectrum of data compliance, data security, data protection, and cyber security.
Philipa is the lead consultant and auditor at ProPrivacy. With clients as far afield as Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Germany, Spain and other such exotic locations, besides Cork and elsewhere in Ireland, Philipa enjoys a broad view of the state of data protection, privacy and cyber security worldwide. Philipa’s passion is manageable data compliance for SMEs.
Philipa is a qualified teacher besides holding a computer science (Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Programming) and electronic and intellectual property law (LLB) qualified. She is trained in constitutional (fundamental) rights litigation and enjoys a good debate.
Philipa has over twenty years of experience working in different sized organisations and sectors on operational, governance, risk management and compliance matters. She is an analytical and focused person that enjoys a challenge in the workplace. She loves technology, systems and people and has a passion for showing people how technology can make life easier and better. She understands that the world is driven by data today but privacy is paramount. Responsibly developed AI excites Philipa for the future.