The final compliance countdown: Are you ready for GDPR?

May 10, 2018

On May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will replace the Data Protection Directive as the new standard on data privacy for all organizations that do business with European Union (EU) citizens.[1]When GDPR goes into effect, government agencies and organizations that control, maintain, or process information involving EU citizens will be required to comply with strict new rules regarding the protection of personal customer data.

GDPRs broad scope and holistic interpretation of personal information leaves these agencies and organizations responsible for protecting a wide range of data types, including genetic and biometric data.[2]Leading up to the GDPR rollout, many companies will be reevaluating their current data storage and sharing methods, and determining whether they need to implement new strategies. More than ever, this regulatory transition highlights the importance of prioritizing a strong and comprehensive security stance within your organization.

According to a recent GDPR benchmarking survey, although 89 percent of organizations have (or plan to have) a formal GDPR-readiness program, only 45 percent have completed a readiness assessment.[3]Regardless of where your organization and its security protocols are in terms of GDPR-readiness, Microsoft can help. Microsoft has been working on GDPR-compliant business and engineering solutions for the better part of a year. Because of our extensive experience developing products with security built-in, weve been a leading voice on privacy and GDPR-related issues with EU regulators.

Weve turned these conversations and insights into a free, four-part video series. Watch the Countdown: Preparing for GDPR series today to hear from industry experts and learn more about Microsofts commitment to helping your organization achieve GDPR-compliance.

You can also read more about our point of view on this transition as the first hyper-scale cloud vendor to offer GDPR terms and conditions in the enterprise space.

Finally, you are invited to a free May 25th GDPR live webcast, Safeguarding individual privacy rights with the Microsoft Cloud. Youll learn how you can:

Use GDPR fundamentals to assess and manage you compliance risk.
Help protect your customers’ data with our built-in, intelligent security capabilities.
Meet your own compliance obligations by streamlining their processes.

[1] https://www.eugdpr.org

[2] What is the GDPR, its requirements and deadlines?

[3] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/risk/deloitte-nwe-gdpr-benchmarking-survey-november-2017.pdf