GDPR: how to become privacy compliant without losing your customers in the process

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), set to come into force from 25 May 2018, has primarily been viewed in terms of the challenge it poses for data security. However, for those in control of customer data, its effects go much deeper. 

At Quadient we know that ensuring data privacy does not only mean securing data, but also ensuring that it is stored appropriately; that customers have access to their data when required; that any data stored is accurate; and that, if requested, data will be removed or transferred. 

Understanding GDPR Beyond Data Security

An organization that has focused on security to the exclusion of all other concerns could still find itself at risk of not meeting GDPR compliance if it hasn’t paid enough attention to the regulations’ data management demands. And to make matters worse, they are at risk of losing their customers in the process. 

This leaves several questions for data controllers to answer:

1. How do you ensure that customer data is not only secure, but also that privacy is ensured across the spectrum? 

2. How do you make privacy not just part of the design of new services, but the default status of all customer information? 

3. How do you give customers access to, and control over, their data? 

4. How do you ensure that all of the data collected is not a compliance, privacy or security risk

5. How do you handle all this and still ensure that the data will provide the maximum possible value for the business and its customers? 

The Role of the Golden Record in Ensuring Compliance

The answer to these questions is creating a ‘Golden Record’ for each customer; a single, unique overview of each individual’s data, history with the organization, and all contextual information to ensure a quick response to, for example, SAR requests, but above all, provide a positive customer experience. 

The white paper “How to meet the Gold Standard for data privacy” will show how a Golden Record can not only ensure data privacy and control, but also improve security: allowing organizations to tap into the opportunities the GDPR brings as part of a smart data management strategy. Download your free copy here.