GDPR in SMEs

Have you read our ‘What is GDPR?’ blog? It tells you the basics of how the Data Protection Act is changing and what the changes mean in relation to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

In this blog, I’ll discuss what the GDPR means for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It’ll include some of the basic ways you can begin to secure your devices and network at a lower cost, without much disruption to your business.

The GDPR applies to anyone who processes or holds personal or sensitive information. Some businesses may think it doesn’t apply to them because they use a data processing company or only process a small amount of data. This doesn’t matter. If you use a data processing company, you’re still liable for that data and the company processing it. It’s your responsibility to make sure any third parties who have access to your data, keep it safe and follow legislation.

You must also ensure that you’re securing your data in the right way within your business. This includes any paper or hard copies of data. If you have filing cupboards full of files, you must make sure these don’t get into the wrong hands either. By storing data safely, encrypting documents and protecting your network, you can start to make sure your GDPR compliant.

To find out more about GDPR in SMEs, click here.

How to prepare for GDPR?

Data protection officer

Most businesses have decided to appoint a data protection officer (DPO). This way you have a dedicated member of staff to research, understand and plan for the GDPR. An appointed DPO can help you to:

assess your current data situation
find out what data you hold
check how long it’s been held for
assess why it’s being held

Once you’ve done this, you’ll be in a better position to plan for GDPR compliance.

If you’ve not got the budget or manpower to appoint a DPO and you’d be taking on the role yourself, there are plenty of resources on the internet where you can find the things you should do next. We’ve outlined some on our website here.

The National Cyber Security Centre has a cyber essentials website which might help you on your journey to GDPR compliancy.

The next thing to do is conduct a data audit. By reviewing your current data and personal information, you’ll make it easier to keep on top of it and be compliant in the long run. You need to decide whether:

all the data you hold is needed
how long you’re going to keep it for
where and how it will be saved

Completing a yearly data audit could improve your data and make it richer, meaning you’ll have a more engaging audience.

GDPR is an opportunity

SMEs should look at the GDPR as an opportunity rather than a threat. If done correctly, complying with the GDPR should not only ensure you don’t get fined or suffer any reputational damage, but it should help with your marketing and targeting efforts.

Ensuring your data is up to date and cleansed, means that your customer and contractual relationships are more reliable and robust. Guaranteeing you have consent from your customer base, and that their details are correct and tailored to what they want to know, should mean your marketing is more successful.

Other GDPR regulations

Under the GDPR you must make sure your data is safe and your network is secure. Your data being lost or stolen could result in your business suffering a hefty fine. In order to secure your network, you need to check any other devices that are connected to your network.

Secure your printers

Things like printers, scanners, mobile phones and any other technical devices you use need to be secured also, as well as your network and internet connection. Below are some simple solutions to securing and protecting your network. But first, see how an unsecured printer could cost you millions with HP’s, The Wolf.

The Wolf

GDPR recommended products and solutions

WatchGuard Firebox

WatchGuard Fireboxes come in all sizes, they bring high-level security to small and medium enterprises. Included are features like URL filtering and intrusion prevention, so you can add many more protective layers to your system. They can be used as stand-alone solutions or managed from another location. Along with the advanced service of data loss prevention, this firebox is a great, cost-effective way to secure your businesses network.

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Dell Latitude

The Latitude range from Dell offers Dell Data Protection meaning your data is secure across all end-points including external media and self-encrypting drives. With customisable features like touch fingerprint reader and infra-red facial recognition, Latitude laptops offer a simple and secure way to access your device. Pre-installed with Windows 10 Pro means your staff will be working on the most secure version of Windows yet.

Shop the range

Our team can help with customisable features like fingerprint readers and infra-red. Give them a call on 0870 429 3020.

Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella is another great layer for you to add to your security. In fact, it works as a first line of defence. Cisco Umbrella can detect where attacks are being staged before the first victim is even targeted. This incredible security feature is easy to deploy so you can start protecting your network in minutes. With no hardware or software to install or update, securing your network couldn’t be easier.

Free trial

Samsung Galaxy Note8 and S8

The Galaxy Note8, S8 and S8+ give mobile workers the flexibility to work anywhere and feel secure. Featuring Samsung Knox defence grade security,¹ users can hide any sensitive documents, photos or data and know that the secure folder can only be accessed by the phone user. The enhanced built-in security includes biometric authentication to lock and unlock the phone including retina iris scan, fingerprint scan, facial recognition in addition to pattern, password and PIN for the upmost security. So you can make sure your mobile workers’ documents and data are safe and secure, wherever they’re working. You’ll even have peace of mind if their phone is ever lost or stolen.

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To help with paper documents and data

For older companies or companies that deal with signed contracts, it might be that you have a lot of paper copies or files full or data in a cupboard or drawer. It’s important to back your copies up securely.
Using Epson in-house scanners to digitalise your paper documents makes them less likely to get stolen.

Under the new GDPR regulation, you must make it easy for those you hold data of, to change and edit their information. Having paper documents makes it harder for you to search through, edit and change files.

Epson DS-530 and DS-570W

The fast and efficient DS-530 and DS-570W colour duplex document scanners are a great choice for transitioning from paper documents to digital. Epson scanners offer a wide range of media handling options that enable you to rapidly capture, index, store and share your personal and sensitive data files.

The DS-570W is the preferred option for sales teams, healthcare workers and government officials. The advanced compact wireless scanner delivers a truly flexible scanning experience so that documents can be captured securely. With connectivity options through ethernet, W-Fi, USB 3.0 and more, you’ll find you can scan to any device however you want to connect. And, they’re as secure as your network.

Shop the DS-530 now

Shop the DS-570W now

Have you thought about your USBs?

If your staff use USB sticks to save files or transfer work or data, they could be compromising the data you hold. If they take these USB sticks out of the office they’re increasing the risk of data being lost or stolen. Which could lead you to a hefty fine.

The best way to ensure your staff’s files are safe is with encryption. With Kingston encrypted products, the risks when moving files and data is minimised. Ensuring your sensitive data is protected.