X Marks the Spot – Achieving GDPR Compliance and the Treasure Map To Get You There

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) deadline is here and you may still be trying to determine whether or not you’re compliant and what you need to do to reach compliance. While some companies have a strong understanding of what they need to do to be compliant, many companies are scrambling to figure out how their new systems will work.

Much like an elusive treasure map, GDPR compliance is not a clear, concise goal. Being compliant means different things for different entities, much like a treasure map can mean different things to different people. While a treasure map gives you a general area with an “X” marking the spot, you still have to figure out how to get to that spot. And even then, once you reach the spot, you still have to find the buried treasure.

Since the new regulation doesn’t require an exact solution to achieve compliance, rather it illustrates the final, required state whereby organizations must mitigate the risks to the privacy of the individuals whose data is collected and processed as part of their activities, many people are left wondering what the most realistic option is to become compliant. Businesses are forging their own paths to determine compliance and non-compliance. When you search for buried treasure, you have to get creative. To achieve GDPR compliance you’re going to need to use more resources than just breaking out the snorkel or the metal detector. Utilizing an Information Governance for GDPR Compliance Solution like the one offered by BackOffice Associates will help lay the foundation for success. This solution, powered by the Information Governance Cloud and Data Stewardship Platform (DSP) helps organizations begin their path to GDPR compliance.

We specialize in helping companies not only understand their data, but we also help businesses transform and govern their data as an asset. Think of that data as the buried treasure. Once you find all the data, you need to proactively set, manage, and enforce data-related policies to manage the data in accordance with the Regulation (or if you really did find buried treasure, to not lose all the gold coins).

BackOffice Associates also offers a three-phased GDPR focused engagement tailored to the unique business environment and compliance needs of an organization. To learn more about becoming GDPR compliant and the ways BackOffice Associates can help, read the DBTA GDPR Playbook here.