EU GDPR – May 2018 Is Just 10 Months Away

Written by Thomas Schneck | Jul 7, 2017

The GDPR is going to make creating a data governance framework a wild ride for many companies, whether they’re in the EU or not. And complying with the EU GDPR requires both pragmatism and courage.

The first step in understanding how to proceed with EU GDPR compliance is to understand where your organization currently stands. A new AIIM report – Understanding GDPR Readiness in 2017 – provides meaningful direction in creating a data governance framework and benchmarks on where other organizations stand.

This kind of practical reference is important. Many organizations are ill-prepared for the EU GDPR, and the clock is ticking.

Consider the following:

Only 23% of organizations feel they will be “fully prepared” for GDPR by May 2018.
55% say that “there is a lack of GDPR ready tools and applications which might prevent us to be ready in time.”
33% say that “privacy rules are changing faster than we can change our systems.”
Currently, only 30% have named a Data Protection Officer.
Only 47% believe that C-suite executives in their organization are aware of the non-compliance implications of the EU GDPR.

Clearly there is room for improvement. When it comes to policies that define compliance and security for information, most organizations rate their performance poorly.

Type of Information	% rating “above average” or “excellent”
PII stored on premise	35%
PII in transit (to and from websites, office locations, etc.)	23%
Cloud stored content	38%
Laptops	34%
Mobile phones and tablets	25%
Removable Storage Devices	28%
Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in Big Data Systems	28%
PII stored in files and documents	21%
PII stored in other countries	26%
PII Collection within your country	38%
PII collected from other countries outside of the EU	22%

According to IAPP-EY Annual Privacy Governance Report 2016, “For privacy and data protection professionals, 2017 may prove to be a watershed year.” The AIIM survey reinforces this: 89% of organizations believe that the EU GDPR requires a holistic approach consisting of governance, training, technology, process and security.

Creating a data governance framework to meet challenges in the new GDPR cannot be left until the last minute – the time to get serious is now.

Are you ready to get serious about taking your business into the digital age? Schedule your free personalized demo of DocuWare today.

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