With the GDPR deadline approaching, organisations across all sectors are scrambling to make sure they are compliant, with the fear of large fines being handed down as well as potential personal penalties. For some organisations, it will feel as though the deadline is approaching too soon, however it’s not just this regulation companies are struggling with. More stories of data breaches have hit the headlines recently, throwing up some very high profile victims of cyber-attacks, highlighting now more than ever the importance of securing your data.
The US fitness brand Under Armour have been placed under the spotlight after their MyFitnessPal software was hacked with the personal details of around 150 million users of the app accessed as part of the breach. The app joins Yahoo, Equifax and Carphone Warehouse, who were recently fined £400,000 by the ICO for a breach back in 2015, as other high profile data breach headline makers.
Breaches like these are the reason why organisations will be fearing the upcoming GDPR deadline. They can face fines in the lower tier of up to €10 million or 2% of their global annual turnover, whichever is higher, while the higher tier can see organisations paying up to €20 million or 4% of their global annual turnover. With this in mind, it is clear why organisations are building teams to ensure they are compliant and that their data security processes are in order.
The current headlines and tighter regulations are testament to why data security should be one of your main concerns and this includes the information shared around the board room and its members. Data security is a big talking point currently, however it’s not only the security of your data itself that is grabbing headlines, but also how your data is used.
How your data is used has always been a contentious issue with third party organisations selling customer details for sales purposes, which has seen many of us receive numerous claim calls for car crashes we have been in or PPI that we supposedly have a claim for. These practices have been occurring for years, and played a large part in GDPR coming into force, however once in a while, a story hits the news where people’s data, its security and usage procedures are blatantly disregarded and misused. On this occasion, Cambridge Analytica were exposed by previous employees who shone a light on the organisation’s questionable practices.
The scandal has brought both the US election and Brexit vote into question with the organisation’s tactics being questioned on its legality. Whistle-blower Christopher Wylie exposed their tactics during the US election campaign and how they acquired the information of 87 million Facebook users, the true extent of which has only just been revealed, without their knowledge or consent. The information was used to build profiles of American voters and raise support for Donald Trump. As more stories develop regarding their involvement in the US election, the Brexit Vote Leave campaign and most recently the production of a video designed to scare voters from voting in the Nigerian presidential election, it is evident that people’s data is under threat now more than ever.
A survey conducted by WPP-owned Syzygy showed that 67% of Brits are either somewhat or extremely worried about the misuse of their personal data online with 5% leaving Facebook already and a further 6% intending to leave. A separate survey was also conducted which found that Brits don’t trust companies to keep their data safe and protect them online. eShare is proud to not only offer a secure solution for your organisation but a service that is built around protecting your data. This is why BoardPacks is built using the Microsoft Active Directory, which is a standard that demonstrates the stability and security of our infrastructure. Further to this, as a part of our hosted solution, your data and the infrastructure behind it is just as secure as our data centres are not only located in a former nuclear bunker but are compliant with the ISO 27001 certification. We build our service around providing the highest security standard possible for organisations across all sectors.
The news stories surrounding data breaches is likely to rumble on in the coming weeks and months, and the fallout from GDPR coming into force in less than 50 days is still to be seen. However, the lengths that these two factors go in highlighting that data security should be top priority on any organisations agenda can only be a good thing moving forward.
For more information on how BoardPacks can be used to secure your data and ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, please visit the website or get in touch.
