Is Your Business Ready For Gdpr?

With GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) being enforced across Europe by May 2018, change is certainly on the horizon. Designed to tighten the collection, use and retention of consumer data, the new legislation will affect businesses of all sizes irrespective of industry or sector and we all need to be ready.

As marketers and brand specialists exposed to a vast array of client information and databases, it’s important that we stay ahead of the curve to avoid potential pitfalls and the hefty fines that may ensue for incorrect or misuse of data. The most critical thing is for organisations to be able to demonstrate to the regulator that they have done their best to comply with the requirements of GDPR.

It’s not all doom and gloom however as conversely this does present an opportunity for marketers and businesses to build trust with customers by obtaining consent and opt ins for communications. Consumers will also have the right to withdraw consent at any time with companies required to demonstrate the measures they have taken to fulfil this request.

Introducing GDPR Portal for small businesses

There is certainly a lot to navigate to understand the implications of GDPR with every business benefiting from varying levels of support and resource depending on their size and scale. Luckily help is at hand! We were recently asked to help create a brand identity and online presence for a new website called GDPR Portal that will be launching soon.

Created by IT specialist Ben Grey from GMA Consulting, the highly innovative cloud-based portal is a user friendly and cost effective solution that will help small businesses comply with GDPR requirements. Based on a subscription model, for a small monthly fee, the software provides a suite of useful tools, that enable businesses to record and share important data, thus helping them avoid some of the hefty fines that may be imposed on them through non-compliance. Put simply, the portal is an easy to use tool, guiding the user through a step by step process to help them stay on track with requirements.

Sarah McCrady, Co-founder and Design Director at Absolute Agency said; “We were delighted to be learn about the benefits of GDPR Portal and are looking forward to signing up as a user. It’s going to be a real benefit for SME’s in the North East and will certainly help take away the pain when navigating this new legislative mine-field. We have a responsibility as marketers and brand specialists to stay ahead of the curve and we know the portal will help us achieve that.”