Are you prepared for GDPR?

Is your business GDPR compliant?

GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation, comes into full force on 25th May 2018 and will affect even the smallest of businesses. With the deadline just weeks away, it is important to be prepared.

Here is a brief look at what GDPR means for you and your organisation, and how Colchester-based Mail Boxes Etc’s data destruction and shredding services can help.

What is GDPR?

GDPR replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 and puts the consumer in the driving seat as to how their data is used. In a nutshell, it means that all personal data must be processed for a specific reason and ‘lawfully’ (for instance, the individual has allowed for the data to be processed and/or keeping that data is deemed to be in that person’s interest). Once the data has served its purpose and is no longer needed, it needs to be erased.

To comply with the regulation, the individual, or consumer, needs to give clear and active consent to their personal information being used (pre-ticked boxes no longer apply), and an organisation needs to keep a record of how an individual allowed their data to be used. A consumer can ask a company what data they hold on them, why, and can withdraw consent to their data being processed at any time.

GDPR won’t just affect businesses, but government departments and charitable organisations too. Obeying the rules will avoid a hefty fine, and the more an organisation does to show it works hard to comply with the regulation, the better.

How Mail Boxes Etc. can help

From names, to bank details, home, email and IP addresses, there is so much personal information out there that needs destroying in a manner which is traceable.

Essex-based Mail Boxes Etc provide data destruction services for data stored on desktops, laptops and hard drives, CDs, DVDs, tablets and smart phones.  All our data destruction partners have achieved the internationally recognised ISO9001 and 14001 certifications; and, to show that your organisation is GDPR compliant, all our services come with a full audit trail and are trackable from start to finish. Plus, in order to keep your records up-to-date, you will receive a proof of destruction certificate once personal information is deleted, or shredded.

At Mail Box Etc we try to protect the environment as much as we can and recycling is important to us. If you are using our paper shredding services you can rest assured that it is done in an eco-friendly way as we recycle all our shredded paper.

For the ultimate peace of mind, and to find out more about Mail Boxes ETC and our data destruction services, visit our dedicated page: Data Destruction & Shredding , or telephone the Colchester branch on 01206 368881 to discuss your requirements.

Posted in

Suffolk Social Media

Sam Brook is a contributor to the Print Colchester blog from her usual home over at Suffolk Social Media. She's an expert in marketing online and is glad to help local businesses improve their social reach.