How to Make GDPR Compliance Your Business Game-Changer

GDPR compliance doesn’t have to be just a box-ticking exercise. With expert GDPR consultancy at your side, it could be a real gamechanger for your business. Learn how in our newest blog.

You can’t escape the issue of data protection. If you run a business and that business collects or uses personal data in any way, its security and privacy needs to matter to you as much as the individuals to whom it belongs.

In the UK, and just to make sure that data protection has the profile it deserves in every business, the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 places certain requirements on your operation. If you trade with EU customers, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), on which the DPA was based, performs the same function for EU residents.

Being Positive About Data Protection

In our experience, businesses have adopted one of three approaches to data protection. Some have largely ignored it for as long as possible in the hope it will go away (it won’t). Some tick the boxes of compliance, doing what’s needed to avoid fines and reputational damage, although there’s always a sense of them doing it under duress.

Increasingly, however, many UK businesses are taking the view that, since the issue of data protection isn’t going anywhere (if anything, its profile and importance are only increasing) and since they have to comply with the DPA /GDPR anyway, they may as well do it in the most positive way for themselves and their customers.

For many of those taking this proactive approach, they are discovering that treating data protection as an integral part of business as usual is having some game-changing effects – effects that become much clearer when they choose GDPR services from an expert GDPR consultancy. Here’s how:

Tailored Compliance Strategies

Every business is unique in its operations, its data processing practices, and the risks to which those practices expose it. An experienced EU GDPR consultant recognizes this diversity and tailors compliance strategies accordingly. They conduct in-depth assessments to identify vulnerabilities and areas of non-compliance within your business structure. This personalised approach matters, because it ensures that your compliance efforts are targeted, minimising the risk of regulatory breaches in the most efficient, effective way.

In-Advance Compliance

GDPR is a multifaceted regulation with intricate legal requirements. Over time, we can expect things to evolve and change, and as the distance between UK and EU law widens, so UK businesses will increasingly need to tap into the knowledge and experience of their GDPR reps.

For UK businesses able to build the best relationships with their EU GDPR consultants, there are big benefits to be gained from their insight. Changes will be flagged well in advance. Policies, processes, training and tech can be aligned to changing legislation in good time for the legislation’s arrival, giving you a major advantage over the businesses left scrambling to catch up.

Absorbing legislative change in a calm, planned way means you don’t face the stress and inevitable cost of getting up to speed fast, and you can maintain focus on core operations rather than being forced to take your eye off the ball. This is a difference your EU GDPR representative can make.

Streamlined Processes

A GDPR EU representative possesses in-depth knowledge of the regulation, staying updated with the latest amendments and interpretations. This expertise enables them to guide your business through the complexities of data protection impact assessments, consent management, data subject rights, and other critical compliance aspects.

It makes the process relatively simple, streamlining compliance efforts so they are efficient, cost-effective, and aligned with industry best practices. Perhaps more importantly, when your data is streamlined and well-managed – when you know what data you hold, where it is stored and who has access to it –  you reduce the chance of data mishandling and unauthorised access.

Greater Data Insight

One of the oft-overlooked benefits of GDPR compliance is the opportunity to truly understand what data you hold. When you have a full view of your organisation’s data landscape, you can use it in new ways to find new, profitable insights.

Proactive Risk Mitigation

A GDPR consultant helps you identify potential risks and vulnerabilities, allowing you to proactively mitigate threats before they turn into costly data breaches or regulatory penalties.

Enhanced Reputation

Demonstrating a commitment to compliance through expert GDPR consultancy can enhance your reputation in the eyes of customers, partners and regulatory authorities. It signals that you take data protection seriously.

With 80% of UK consumers concerned about how their data is used, there’s a clear commercial opportunity for businesses able to demonstrate that they’re on the side of consumers when it comes to data.

Do More With Data Compliance

GDPR compliance is not just a legal requirement; it’s a foundational aspect of responsible operations. It’s a vital way to avoid financial and reputational damage. But far more than that, it is an opportunity – an opportunity to truly understand your data, to do more with it and drive profit from it, to be one step ahead of change and to build a reputation with customers as a business that cares about getting data protection right.

We believe all of that is considerably more valuable to any UK business than simply ticking the box of compliance.

Get more from your data. Get more from your data protection. Explore how our GDPR services can support you now, get data protection advice or, for questions about your next steps, call us on +44 1772 217800.