Ensuring your business remains inline with the GDPR compliance will likely require you to implement more measures to protect and secure your data than most organisations are taking at present.
Companies must re-think how they engage with customers; information regarding what you will do with an individual’s data must now be made entirely transparent.
Regulators will have new enforcement powers and sanctions to shape how an organisation conducts its operations, and you will have to notify customers and agencies of a breach in security or confidentiality within a timeframe of 72 hours. You may also need to employ an independent data security officer too. Failure to comply will result in hefty fines.
Costly mistakes
The 2015 Information Security Breaches Survey by analysts PwC found that 90% of large UK organisations and 74% of UK SMEs reported a security breach in 2015.
This resulted in roughly £1.4 billion in regulatory fines.
If the frequency of data breaches remains at a similar level to 2015, under the GDPR, accumulative fines could reach £122 billion in 2018/19 – an increase of over 870%.
Besides the fines themselves, breaches also result in severe reputational damage and loss of revenue. When combined with these eye-watering fines, organisations that do not comply with the GDPR could find themselves in serious financial trouble.
The technological solution
There is no single ‘fix-all’ in terms of software that will guarantee complete security of your business. Instead, you should employ a set of tools and services to secure content holistically. These will need to be maintained, but can help substantially when it comes to remaining compliant with data security laws. Let’s explore what this security toolbox includes:
1. Firewalls and internet gateways
A firewall acts as a barrier between an organisation’s network of computers and the internet, allowing only inbound and outbound network traffic via authorised connections. Without this barrier, skilled cyber attackers can gain access to the sensitive information in your business.
Firewalls protect you against the threat of unauthorised access. Employing experts to manage your firewall security remotely or on-site can provide you with peace of mind that your content is safe and save you money in the long run.
2. Secure configuration
Upon their default installation, it’s unlikely your computer systems are fully secure.
Much of your hardware and software will require an additional level of configuration for maximum protection. Similarly, removing old and outdated software will reduce your software vulnerabilities – weaknesses found in a piece of software or operating system are an easy target for cyber attackers.
Managed security services take much of the IT security burden off your shoulders. Experienced consultants can work alongside you to build a solution that fits the compliance needs of your company – from securing employee emails to document access.
3. Access control
Permissions add an extra layer of security over the files your employees are accessing.
By giving out the correct permissions to accounts, workers can only access the content appropriate to their current role.
Avoid giving out administrator accounts to users just because they need access to a certain file or folder. This is important to meet GDPR compliance.
As a business grows, the need for controlling access becomes increasingly important, as does the task of managing it. A managed service provider can align your employees with the right permissions to ensure they’re only accessing the content they should be.
4. Malware Protection
Anti-virus and anti-malware products can scan your network regularly to detect and prevent potential threats. But it is your responsibility to ensure anti-malware tools are kept up to date and scanning the right files. You and your users will also need to know what to do if you are alerted to a threat in the system.
Remote monitoring services can also automate many key software updates on your systems. Managed network services ensure your system is consistently as powerful, secure and up to date as possible.
5. Software updates
Regular updates are necessary now more than ever as the pace of technology change continues to increase, meaning your software and hardware require regular maintenance to keep the system running smoothly – keeping workers productive and avoiding security vulnerabilities.
Remote monitoring services can also automate many key software updates on your systems. Managed network services ensure your system is consistently as powerful, secure and up to date as possible.
Learn more about GDPR compliance
What to expect from GDPR? Read our recent blog for more details.
Take a look at our online Business Talk Magazine for further information on GDPR. Synergy Technology is planning to hold workshops to help guide SMEs regarding GDPR. Register for our GDPR workshops today.
