As the modern business world has mostly gone online, the need for data privacy and security has become paramount. Businesses must now adhere to stringent regulations that are in place to protect the personal data of individuals. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of these regulations that has recently come into effect in the UK and has changed the way all businesses handle sensitive client information. Complying with GDPR is not only a legal requirement but is also essential for building trust with your clients. In this article, we will discuss some practices you can put into place in your company, to ensure you are meeting GDPR regulations.
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One of the fundamental principles of GDPR is ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of personal data. There are many strategies you can implement to make sure you meet this standard. For example, you can encrypt sensitive data files and password protect them, so in the case of company computers being stolen or lost, the sensitive information will not be able to be viewed. It is also important to limit access to certain personal files to only certain people within your company. It is a risk allowing everyone in your company access to personal data files, as this increases the risk of a data leak. By only allowing access to these files by certain people and at certain times, you can greatly reduce the risk of a leak of sensitive information.
Paper documents containing sensitive information can be just as vulnerable as digital files in terms of leaks. It is important that you put in place a policy for shredding sensitive information that is no longer needed. When you shred these documents, they should go into a locked bin and be disposed of properly. If you are worried about not handling your paper information properly, you can contact a Confidential shredding Swindon company that can handle these physical documents for you. An example of one of these companies is https://www.printwaste.co.uk/confidential-shredding/confidential-shredding-swindon/
Obtaining informed consent is a core requirement of GDPR when collecting personal data. You will need to present each of your clients with consent forms for them to sign. Make sure that these forms are clear and easy to understand and explain what information you will be collecting and why you need this data. You should also give your clients an easy opt-out option which will allow them to request you delete any personal information you have regarding them.