The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed that it will be launching a GDPR helpline on 1 November 2017. The helpline service is designed to help small and micro business owners prepare for incoming changes to data protection laws.

From May 2018, UK businesses that hold consumer data will be required to comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, many small business owners are unaware what this means for their business and have not made preparations for compliance.

The ICO’s GDPR helpline will be based around the existing public helpline: 0303 123 1113.

We have been working with our clients to help them become GDPR ready as there are many technology solutions that can be deployed to achieve compliance.

The first step is to determine what personal data your business collects, processes and holds. E-discovery software will do this for you by scanning, identifying, and mapping all personal data held across your IT network.

One of the key requirements of the regulation concerns data security so the next stage involves data protection. Your business has a responsibility to keep safe the data it holds. There are several software options to ensure data security,  from data encryption through to ransomware protection and breach detection.

If you’d like to find out more about data discovery and data security solutions, please call us on 01392 207194 or email us at cybersecurity@bluegrass-group.com.