Understanding the Importance of GDPR Compliance

In the current digital era, safeguarding personal information has become essential. These personal date includes, Social Security Number, Credit or Debit Cards and even IDs. In 2017, Philip Mather and Vakis Paraskeva established GDPR Auditing. Together, they have more than 50 years of expertise in compliance, privacy, and data security. The European Union (EU) established the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a law to provide a comprehensive set of guidelines that regulate the handling of personal data.

Their goal is for people to have more control over their personal data and for companies to be held responsible for how they gather, use, and store it. If you don’t follow GDPR, you could face big fines and damage to your reputation, among other things. To find any defects or holes in your company’s data protection one should implement fixes and also conduct GDPR compliance audit.

GDPR Compliance Audit principles

  • Accountability and Governance
  • Data Minimization
  • Lawful Basis for Processing
  • Individual Rights
  • Data Security and Confidentiality
  • Data Breach Management
  • Data Transfers
  • Data Processing Agreements
  • Training and Awareness
  • Privacy by Design
  • Documentation

Steps involved in GDPR Compliance Audit

1. Determining the Scope of the Audit

Finding out what the GDPR compliance check will cover is the first thing that needs to be done in a test project. This includes marketing, employee records, customer files, and third-party data providers. Think about every part of your business that deals with personal data. Find out what sections, processes, and systems need a broad review by figuring out the scope.

2. Reviewing Data Protection Policies and Procedures

The second step is to check how the GDPR rules fit with the data protection rules and tools your company already uses. Make sure that your privacy notice is clear and tells people a lot about the data you gather, how it is used, and why.

Make sure that your steps for getting permission follow the GDPR’s rules. For example, get quick, clear permission before you handle personal data.
The GDPR says that you should only keep personal data for as long as you need it. Make sure that your rules about when to remove and keep data are in line with this rule. Take a look at how you deal with issues, contacts, and data leaks.

3. Assessing Data Processing Activities

Do a full evaluation of the data handling you do. This means writing down the kinds of personal information you collect, how you plan to use it, why it’s legal, your data sharing rules, and any data exchanges that may need to happen across borders.

Look at the safety steps that are in place to make sure that the information doesn’t get lost, changed, or viewed by people who shouldn’t have it. As part of this, the technological and organisational security measures that are in place are talked over. These include encryption, access limits, frequent backups, and teaching staff how to keep data safe.

4. Reviewing Data Subject Rights Processes

Individuals have a number of rights under GDPR with relation to their personal data, including the ability to access, amend, remove, limit, and object to collection. Examine your procedures for responding to requests for data subject rights and make sure people can simply access them.

Check whether your procedures and modern technology enable you to reply to these requests in the specified period that’s mostly a month. Make sure you have the right protocols in place to confirm the identification of the people initiating the requests.

5. Assess Third-Party Suppliers and Contracts

If you use third-party processors to handle the personal data on your behalf, it is important to evaluate their GDPR compliance. Examine your contracts and agreements with these suppliers to make sure they contain the data protection clauses you need such as; confidentiality, security, and a clear division of duties.
It is important to perform an outstanding diligence on the processors, by looking over their privacy and security policies and making sure they have the right organizational and technical safeguards in place to protect the data and report GDPR breach.

6. Documenting the Audit Findings and Prepare an Action Plan

Focus on any violations or security holes that were found in your in-depth report about the audit’s results. Is it possible for the threats that the places that don’t follow the rules might face to affect people’s rights and freedoms?

Use what the audit showed to make a plan for fixing the issues and lowering the risks. Either people or groups should be given tasks, and it should be noted how important each one is.

7. Putting corrective measures into action

As shown in the action plan, you need to change the steps that are put down. Rules and processes might need to be changed, security will need to be improved, workers will need to be taught how to keep data safe, and deals with outside service providers may need to be changed. To guarantee continued adherence to the GDPR, regularly assessing and monitoring how the corrective actions are being implemented.

8. Routinely checking for and updating compliance

Following the rules of GDPR is an ongoing process. Check and make changes to your data security policies, methods, and processes on a regular basis to make sure they keep up with the changing rules. Stay up to date on any changes to the GDPR rules and make any necessary changes to your compliance plans.

Different Types of GDPR Systems When auditing:

  1. Manual Audits: These are done by internal teams or outside experts, and they involve looking over policies, procedures, and paperwork.
  2. Automated Tools: These are software tools that make data tracking, risk assessments, and reports easier and more thorough.
  3. Third-Party Services: These are outside auditing or law companies that focus on GDPR compliance and can provide a more detailed and unbiased review.

GDPR audits have these pros:

  • Getting rid of risk
  • Compliance with regulations
  • Continuously Getting Better
  • Being honest and trustworthy

In the end

Businesses need to do a GDPR compliance check to make sure they are following the rules and keeping personal information safe. By looking at their data security policies, processing activities, and any problems they find, businesses can gain the trust of their customers and lower their risk of fees and damage to their image. Regular reviews and updates of compliance processes are needed to make sure they continue to meet GDPR requirements.