A London based pharmacy has been fined £275,000 after findings that the company had failed to secure a number of care home patients special category data. This is the first fine for a UK business since the regulation came into force in 2018.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance is crucial for every organisation holding personal data and this example just demonstrates how the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is not only interested in large scale breaches, but that general compliance in any company size is equally important. When fines of up to £17m or 4% of global turnover can be issued, data security should be a top priority for your businesses, especially considering the impact a fine of this scale can have on your organisation.

Here’s three top tips for keeping on top of  GDPR compliance

1, Audit your business

Identify what personal information you’re holding, where it is being stored and how your staff are accessing it. This might be a point of sale system, a CRM or simple excel spreadsheets sat on servers. Find out where your data lives and if necessary move it to the most appropriate, secure location.

2, Train your employees

The biggest cause of data breaches is human error and almost any one in any role will at some point have access to personal data within your business. Do your employees know the right way in which to handle that data? If you can’t be confident that they do, it’s your responsibility to train them. Involve it in your induction programme and make it mandatory for everyone you employ. Simple online training videos are available to train your staff and test them too, make it annual to ensure the regulations are repeatedly enforced.

3, Secure your systems

Cyber crime is a growing industry and provides a significant threat to all businesses of any size. What measures do you have in place around your systems to ensure your IT and Data security? Antivirus protection, data encryption, firewalls, ransomware detection, mobile security – to name a few. Work with an expert to uncover your gaps, reduce your vulnerabilities and keep you up to date with the latest protection measures.

There’s no need to leave yourself at risk, find an expert to work with and enjoy peace of mind that you’re comfortably compliant.

To speak to one of our experts today simply call us on 01392 207 194 or email us.