A long time has passed since the publication (2016) and subsequent enforcement (2018) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but there are still many companies that struggle to keep the various obligations imposed by the GDPR under control. The main questions for businesses are:

  • What are the privacy regulation requirements for my company?
  • How GPDR affects my company cyber security’s management?

The link between Data Processing and Management

The identification and management of data processing, the appointment and management of Processors, the management of consents, the management of requests from data subjects: these are only a subset of the activities which require a constant and continuous focus and effort, but among these, one of the most complex challenges concerns the link between the Data Processing activities that lists the type of personal data managed by the controller and processor and the cyber security measures that organisation decided to apply to its protect data and mitigate the risks of data breaches.

If we explore this topic more in detail, we discover that the association between a specific Data Processing and all the IT systems and applications that manage personal data is often carried out through interviews with various stakeholders, but it is almost never complemented by an activity of formal designation of the Application Owners, who shall be responsible for keeping this information up-to-date.

GDPR and counter measures against cyber risks

the data processing journey in GDPR era

Furthermore, considering that the Privacy regulation prescribes the obligation to define the security counter-measures on each of these systems / applications, based on an appropriate risk analysis, it is evident the need to adopt methodologies and platforms. These assets can facilitate the compliance journey, involving all the stakeholders and ensuring the proper tracking of all the relationship between Personal Data and their data processing inside each and every application environments managed by a specific stakeholder.

How GPDR affects my company cyber security’s management?

 

Summing up, how GDPR affects companie’s cybersecurity:

  • GDPR requires the controller and processor to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, taking into account the tasks and responsibilities assigned within the organisation in question for keeping Personal Data up-to-date, such as Application Owners.
  • In order to face data breaches and attacks, it is required by law to define security counter-measures on each system collecting Personal Data
  • GDPR does require attention to its specifically stated cybersecurity mandates which are often overlooked and / or assumed to be subsumed in other activities by organisations.

The methodologies and platforms aim to accompany the company along the complex process of managing the changes to which it is continuously subjected, guaranteeing a constant assessment of cyber security risks and the consequent identification, tracking and adoption of cyber security technologies capable of dealing with the increasingly sophisticated attack techniques devised by cybercrime communities.

Reliance on skilled cyber security providers is the smartest and best money-saving method to face this journey.

Would you like to know more?
Learn how CyberSec Privacy DIVE framework can help your business go through these challenges.