Data Protection Management: From Vulnerability to Victory

Being responsible for the protection of personal information, data protection management is an indispensable aspect of the modern business world. More specifically, it describes a proactive approach aimed at ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data in both the short and long term. While it should be in every company's best interest to prioritize data protection, businesses are also legally obligated (under the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or EU-GDPR) to properly manage personal data and protect the rights of those affected.

What Aspects Does Data Protection Management Include?

Data protection management should be understood as an all-encompassing approach to handling, safeguarding, and following data protection rules and policies. As such, it involves various key aspects.

Privacy Guidelines and Procedures
Companies are required by law to create and put into action clear internal guidelines and processes for data protection. This includes procedures for privacy statements, obtaining consent from data subjects, and allocating responsibilities. Sometimes, companies are even required to appoint a designated data protection officer to oversee and enforce these guidelines.

Technical and Organizational Measures
To keep personal information safe, specific technical and organizational measures must be in place. This includes ensuring data is securely encrypted, setting up access controls, regularly checking for security issues, and using user-friendly data protection management software that makes these tasks much easier.

Privacy Impact Assessment
Privacy Impact Assessments are a crucial part of managing data protection. They evaluate the impact of data processing activities on the privacy of individuals involved, providing a necessary foundation to identify potential risks early on. This proactive approach enables organizations to take timely and appropriate measures to effectively reduce those risks.

Reporting Data Breaches
Companies must ensure their ability to promptly detect data breaches and notify affected individuals and data protection authorities about the incident’s nature and extent within 72 hours of becoming aware. The use of data protection management software can assist in automating underlying processes in this regard.

Legal Requirements for Data Protection

The entry into force (2018) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) brought about a fundamental change in the European data protection landscape, the effects of which can be felt worldwide. Companies that process personal data now face stricter requirements.

Right to Erasure

A central element of the EU GDPR is the right to have personal data deleted. Companies must ensure they can delete data upon request if it the data is no longer needed or if the data subject withdraws their consent.

Duty to Supply Information

Companies are obliged to provide data subjects with details about the processing of their data. This includes information about the purpose of processing, data categories, data recipients, and the planned storage period.

Penalty for Violations

The EU GDPR provides for severe penalties for violations of data protection regulations. Companies can be fined up to 4% of their global annual turnover or EUR 20 million when adequate protection is not guaranteed.

Data Protection Management Is a Real Value-add for Companies

Legal Compliance
Data protection management helps companies comply with the strict regulations of the EU GDPR and other data protection laws worldwide to avoid legal consequences
Risk Reduction
Data protection management effectively minimizes the risk of data breaches by detecting and highlighting problems early so that companies can react in a timely manner
Customer Trust
Data protection management creates trust in the integrity of the organization by showing customers that their data protection is taken seriously and has top priority
Competitive Advantage
Diligent and transparent handling of data positively impacts the organization's reputation and business success, contributing to a sustainable growth and profitability
Continuous Improvement
By regularly adapting data protection practices to changing policies and regulations, companies can ensure that no critical errors are missed, both now and in the future

Tips for introducing data protection management software

Data protection is a large and complex topic that, due to the consequences it can entail, should never be neglected. Luckily, there is software out there that can help make it much easier to comply with relevant data protection regulations. When picking this software, good planning is everything as you want to make sure it covers as many data protection areas as possible.

Research and Compare
Start by informing yourself about software abilities and comparing different offers carefully

Choose the Right Software
Choose software that fits your company's needs and facilitates administration, monitoring, and reporting

Create Policies
Introduce clear privacy policies and procedures that must be followed within your organization

Configure Software
If possible, customize the software according to your company's needs and implement it systematically

Raise Employee Awareness
Train your employees on data protection topics and ensure that they understand data protection regulations

Optimize Continuously
Ensure your data protection management software is regularly monitored and updated

What Are the Advantages of Data Protection Management Software?

Centralized Handling
Control all data protection activities efficiently in one central location, including tracking data breaches and managing data protection requests
Automated Processes
Utilize advanced automation of data protection processes to increase efficiency and effectively reduce the risk of human error
Reliable Reporting
Benefit from comprehensive reporting functions and streamlined, real-time monitoring of your data protection activities
Highest Security
Improve your company's security and compliance by systematically managing and enforcing privacy policies and procedures

Integrated Data Protection with BIC

With BIC Data Protection, you get an intuitive and versatile software solution that enables you to reliably cover all important data protection areas.

Keep track of all tasks, processing activities, and measures on your data protection dashboard
Ensure users always have a clear overview of processes, data, and measures
Use automated processes and suggestions in the GDPR software for recurring tasks
Integrate data protection management into your existing GRC processes, increasing the maturity level of your company

Information security management software

Which BIC Solution Is Right for Me?

Whether you are looking for a customizable or prefabricated solution – at GBTEC you will find the right data protection software for your requirements. Our ready-made out-of-the-box solution BIC Data Protection is perfectly aligned with the latest version of the EU GDPR and ensures that you can comply with data protection regulations easily and effectively.

See for yourself and build an efficient management system that will accompany you safely into the future.

BIC Custom GRC

BIC Custom GRC offers flexible custom solutions that can be tailored to your unique processes.

Discover BIC Custom GRC

BIC Data Protection

BIC Date Protection is our intuitive standardized solution that meets common standards and is easy to implement.

Discover BIC Data Protection

About the Expert

Martin Tanzer

GRC Solutions Architect

Martin Tanzer brings years of invaluable experience, having designed and implemented data protection management systems with a strong focus on real-world impact. As an IT and organizational coach, he also focused on providing data protection training to help users effectively work with these systems. For over a year, Martin has been driving innovation as a GRC Solutions Architect at GBTEC, where he shapes the development, customization, and enhancement of the BIC GRC standard solutions – creating robust, standard-compliant software that’s easy to use and can be rapidly deployed.

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