Data Protection Strategy

Understanding how data protection laws will apply to your business is never easy. Learn from our specialist Data Protection team on how your business should implement a Data Protection Strategy to ensure you are compliant with data protection laws. We can assist with strategic planning as your business grows and evolves.

Why is data protection important?

Data protection is a process of protecting and safeguarding personal information from the risks of damage, corruption, compromise, misuse and loss. 

The scope of data protection can be extensive as it extends to not only traditional methods such as back up and restoration of data, but now includes data security and data privacy.  A data protection strategy reflects on all of these areas and helps you to navigate how best to structure a system of data protection for your business.

Data protection laws

Having a strategy in place would help you to identify which data protection laws apply to your business. Whilst GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 are likely to be the most applicable, there will be other privacy laws and regulations that are also relevant. 

Implementing a data protection strategy would identify your geographical reach and which other jurisdictions need to be considered. This would include cross border transfers of data and how to enable these within your business, and what to do when conflicts of law occur. 

Business data protection strategies

Data privacy and security remain top priorities for any business regardless of its size or longevity. Businesses need to have a framework in place which focuses on both data protection and security. A data protection strategy is a way to assess and manage those risks by developing internal and external policies and procedures. 

What is the purpose of a data protection strategy, we hear you ask?  The key to ensuring your business is compliant with data protection laws is understanding how personal data flows through your business from top to bottom. As the amount of data that businesses become responsible for increases, having a clear strategy in place can be cost effective, and it is also best practice for any business wishing to be compliant.

Having a strategy involves understanding and identifying the following areas:

• Where data flows in the business.
• What data pathways are likely to occur?
• What risks exist within the business and how can these be managed or mitigated?
• What policies and procedures will be necessary?
• Data access and management controls.
• Cybersecurity management. What processes are in place?
• What training is required?
• How will your business monitor and review the above areas?

This list is not exhaustive but illustrates what a strategy might include. Strategy planning can be a useful way for any business to fully understand the implication of GDPR and other data protection laws. Having a clear strategy identifies where risks lie, how they can be managed and how data can be protected.