What Are The Benefits Of GDPR?

The GDPR deadline is nearly upon us, and while for many companies, it has felt like a rush, panic and burden to ensure they are fully compliant in time, it is important to realise that there are actually benefits of GDPR to you as a business or individual.

With the introduction of high fines for non-compliance becoming a significant risk to most businesses and the difficult task of creating a strategy to ensure compliance, it is easy to think that GDPR is all doom and gloom. In fact, there are many benefits of the new data privacy laws for both organisations and individuals.

The Benefits of GDPR

Organised and localised data

There is no doubt that getting all the data for your business in order will require considerable investment. Furthermore, many companies need to hire a Data Protection Officer to ensure they are GDPR compliant. While the initial project may be a challenge, the benefits of having organised and localised data make that initial investment worthwhile. Having a data-centric approach and a robust framework for your databases means you will know exactly what information you have available to you, and where it is stored.

The new regulations encourage firms to consolidate personal data into one unified platform, giving the opportunity for businesses to better respond to customer requests, engage with them in ways they prefer, and ultimately innovate the way they interact.

Build customer loyalty

One of the major benefits to businesses is the enhanced trust that you will build with your customers. Currently, individuals generally do not trust companies to protect their personal data. So much so that in 2015, Eurobarometer conducted a survey which found that eight out of ten respondents felt they do not have control over their data.

Being able to prove to your customers that you are ‘cyber safe’ will be a significant selling point for businesses in all industries. It provides an important marketing message to sell your business, attract new customers and maintain existing ones. The added layer of security that GDPR offers to both your business and its customers can act as powerful leverage against other companies that are not as invested in data security.

Cut costs

This benefit might seem a bit counter-intuitive to businesses that are having to invest in new systems, applications and team members to meet the strict GDPR laws. In reality, after the initial outgoings of becoming compliant, the cost of staying compliant will in most cases, actually save you money.

It is estimated that the total savings will amount to around €2.3 billion a year. At the moment, companies need to deal with country-specific data protection laws, which can mean working with up to 28 different local authorities and regulatory experts at one time. GDPR is providing one reformed set of regulations that all businesses in the European Union must comply with.

Another way that GDPR will cut costs for your business is by forcing you to undergo a thorough data audit and get rid of any data that is no longer required or useful. Many organisations have duplicated and unnecessary copies of digital data which they are paying to keep and store online. Once you have had a thorough clear out of this data, you will know you are only paying for the information that is actually valuable to your business.

Security

Most people are now aware of the high compliance fines that are coming into force with GDPR in May 2018, but that is not the only reason to ensure you are fully compliant and keeping your customer data secure.

A security breach can cause huge brand and reputational damage, even more so if your company ends up being taken to court and into the media. Market research has shown that over 50% of security breaches are a result of careless employees. This figure shows how important it is to not only invest in ensuring your software is compliant, but also that your staff are fully trained on how to handle customer data securely. With this, you receive the benefit of protecting your brand and having confidence in your team.

Accurate customer information

Getting GDPR-ready will improve the level of accuracy within your database. The new regulations will mean that customers not only have access to the data you hold about them but can also validate and update it when they please. This customer right does already exist; however, the new regulations require the data controller to rectify any identified errors when they are made aware of them, meaning the information on file will be greatly improved.

Better protection for individuals

In addition to all of these benefits to businesses and organisations, there is also a huge benefit to everyone within the EU as individuals and consumers. GDPR means that your personal data will be much safer and in turn making you better protected against cybercrime.

Some of the regulations included have been around one way or another for many years but will now have much higher consequences when breached. One essential addition is the ‘right to be forgotten’ which allows you to request that all of your personal data be completely removed from a business database.

Realise the benefits with Cyan Solutions

It is no doubt that preparing for the upcoming GDPR is a top priority for thousands of organisations across the globe, and it will not be a quick and easy fix. Even so, the changes required to be GDPR compliant can also be seen as essential competitor differentiators in the future. To ensure you are embracing GDPR in the best possible way for your business, get in touch with our team of experts at Cyan Solutions who can make getting GDPR-ready stress-free and painless for your business.

 

Monitoring The Dark Web To Stop Security Breaches Fast

We are all aware that the internet is incomprehensively massive. We know about YouTube, Google, Facebook and eBay, but what many of us often don’t realise is how much deeper the internet goes beyond those respectable and user-friendly websites. The elusive dark web is something we often hear about, but very few people properly understand what it is or how dangerous it can be.

What is the dark web?

In simple terms, the dark web is content on the world wide web that exists on ‘darknets’; these are overlay networks that require specific authorisation to access them. It forms part of the deep web, which is a part of the internet that cannot be found or indexed by search engines. Research has found that as little as 4% of the internet is available to the general public, meaning a vast 96% of the internet is made up of the dark web.

The dark web provides a hidden area where cybercriminals can act with full anonymity thanks to the heavy encryption involved. This shady corner of the internet offers several layers of secrecy by encrypting all IP addresses that work within it or even access it. It is this level of confidentiality that makes the dark web a hub for cyber attacks and underground marketplaces which trade not only your personal data but also that of your customers.

Although the dark web is buzzing with illegal activity such as cyber attacks and data breaches, it is not actually illegal to access and can be accessed by anyone who wishes too. Accessing the dark web and using it legally can surprisingly provide a fantastic resource for businesses. It gives us the opportunity to monitor the dark web’s content and ensure customer data is not being circulated and traded by cybercriminals.

Data concerns

All kinds of personal data and information on individuals can be found on the dark web and are often traded between cybercriminals and used for fraud and online attacks. Just last year it was reported that a database of around 1.4 billion account login details were published online. This included account details such as usernames, passwords and email addresses from a considerable number of well-known websites such as PayPal, Netflix and Gmail.

Once hackers get their hands on these details, they are able to automate account hijacking and take over customers’ accounts easily. Many individuals will reuse passwords across all their online accounts, meaning hackers can access a terrifying amount of data.

Why you need to protect your data

Personal data on individuals is very valuable to hackers on the dark web, and it is vital to ensure you, and your company is adequately protected against any kind of data breach. There are a huge number of ways that data can be leaked from an organisation, from accidental data spills or database misconfigurations to highly sophisticated attacks that infect systems with malicious code. With such a vast number of these data breaches happening on a daily basis across all kinds of companies and organisations it is imperative that you protect your business from potential issues.

While traditional methods of having strong security to protect your database and customer information are still essential to protecting against cyber attacks, there are new approaches that are becoming increasingly popular. Recently, we have seen a trend of more and more companies adopting a risk-management mindset, where you make the assumption that sensitive data will eventually be breached and plan accordingly.

Monitoring the dark web

The dark web can be used a powerful tool in data protection; it can often provide early insights into potential vulnerabilities in your network. By monitoring the dark web, we can often detect unknown weaknesses such as misconfigured databases and malicious insiders that are leaking your customer data. By detecting these leaks as soon as they appear on the dark web you have an early warning of vulnerabilities within your network, giving you the opportunity to resolve them before a larger and more dangerous breach occurs.

The process of monitoring the dark web for potential security threats can seem extremely overwhelming for small businesses, especially to those who are not so tech-savvy. The dark web lingers on deep and difficult to locate corners of the world wide web, so even just knowing how and where to start can be a challenge.

Protect your data with Cyan Solutions

At Cyan Solutions, we take the challenge of monitoring the dark web away. We can help you to manage your online security and use our own monitoring tools to keep track of the dark web for your business. We work in partnership with you to our services so we meet your every need.

Our tools provide us with the knowledge and assets to help prevent or limit the damage of cyber attacks by alerting you to any potential security breaches. Get in touch with our professional team of experts today to book your audit and get started on protecting yourself against the dark web’s cybercriminals.

 

Plan. Create. Maintain for GDPR compliance 

With the deadline for GDPR compliance drawing ever closer, it is becoming critical for businesses to not only plan for compliance but evaluate their strategy for effective GDPR-compliant maintenance for the future. As enforcement begins on the 25th May 2018, the firms who are not compliant will soon become apparent when fines up to 4% of global turnover or €20 million start being issued.  

With failure for compliance coming with significant risk for businesses, now is the time to implement a strategy for effective GDPR compliance. From employing Data Protection Officers or enlisting the support of a virtual CIO, organisations need to plan for compliance, create a strategy and ensure ongoing maintenance with effective results.  

So, how does your business prepare for GDPR? 

Plan: How to prepare for GDPR compliance 

Conduct a data audit 

An audit can help you to determine all of the points where data is collected and held. From there, you can map where data is collected, how it is processed and the channels that information is shared. It is important to analyse all data relationships to make sure you cover every single process.  

At Cyan Solutions, we work closely with all our customers to conduct comprehensive reviews to help create a detailed insight. Through this process, we can integrate our strategic thinking as part of your team. With auditing and our expertise in GDPR compliance, we can help to create an actionable plan to cover all of the points that you need to review and can improve. 

Questions in an audit include; 

  • How long do you keep personal data? 
  • What mechanisms are in place to safeguard data? 
  • Who do we transfer data to and is this process safe? 
  • Who has access to sensitive data? 
  • Do third parties share the data we provide? 

Become familiar with legal basis 

With individual control being at the heart of GDPR, it is essential to ascertain the legal basis for each of the data processing activities. By understanding the legal requirements, you can start to plan to refine your data collection and processing technique. For example, businesses must demonstrate that they do not collect any personal data beyond the minimum necessary for each specific processing activity.  

An activity to complete at this planning stage is a Privacy Impact Assessment. This describes the data processing activity, an assessment of its necessity and use in processing purposes and how a data protection officer is involved. Through conducting this type of review, you can understand the areas you need to streamline and refine to be compliant.  

Create: Implement a GDPR solution 

Tailor a platform 

To ensure the business is fully compliant across all teams and departments, there needs to be a cohesive system in place. With a familiar interface that helps people to carry out their normal work activities while remaining GDPR compliant and having specific access controls, staff can have an efficient platform that ensures GDPR is taken care of.  

At Cyan Solutions, we use technical architecture to tailor a platform that is specific to your business needs. We not only design a compliant and easy to use solution but also implement the strategy to make it easy for your business to migrate to a familiar system but with added flexibility, accessibility and security.  

Maintain: Track changes with analytics 

Using technical software, it is possible to monitor all changes to data throughout its lifecycle. With this, you can highlight any areas of concern for GDPR compliance. Furthermore, you can compare data to highlight any potential threats and data breaches to ensure your system remains robust and your organisation retains its GDPR compliance.  

Systems can also help you to catalogue and search for personal data across data stores. Applications such as this can help you to delete and remove data after its specific use or required time period. At Cyan Solutions, we remove the burden of maintenance by monitoring your GDPR compliance through proactive managed IT services.  

Our helpdesk is available to answer any queries and concerns while you can trust our team to safely manage your IT systems with the necessary security and back-up to maximise productivity and reduce downtime. Working with your business, we can help your IT do the hard work for you by maintaining your GDPR compliance with a proactive response and reducing the time spent reviewing compliance activities and implementing new strategies.  

Plan, create and maintain with Cyan Solutions 

If you want to find out more about how Cyan Solutions can help you to plan, create and maintain an IT system that is ready for GDPR compliance, get in touch by calling our friendly IT experts on 02392 333 365.  

Just how secure is the cloud? (Spoiler: Very.)

One of the most important considerations for all businesses is security of information and networks. With the revolution in cloud technologies and services, there has been much discussion about security in comparison to traditional IT networks and server technology.

Cloud based technologies have had their share of press particularly in relation to security aspects. What is important is to weigh up the facts and fiction relating to security. Maybe some concerns in the past have been justified. But as cloud technology has developed many of these issues have been rectified.

It would now seem that data and apps held in the cloud could actually be more secure than traditional local server and network technology. Security and privacy issues have always been a major concern for many organisations. They’re also the greatest worries blocking cloud technology adoption. Many organisations feel that if they do not control their data and tech themselves it leaves their systems open to security breaches.

Read on to see if these fears are still well founded and find out why the cloud is actually more secure now than ever!

Data storage and security

Security wise, the physical location of where data is stored is much less important than how it is accessed. The same principle applies to cloud based and traditional storage systems. Whilst web application attacks are targeted at both Cloud and on-site environments, the on-site systems have been shown to suffer far more incidents and attacks than the cloud. So the argument that these systems leads to security breaches because you don’t own them is simply a myth.

Cloud based platforms actually perform better in avoiding attacks.  They are constructed to be more robust and secure to ensue they work effectively and securely for their clients.  Traditional systems don’t have that same focus. They are likely to be administered by network technicians who have less knowledge, expertise and up to date resources. On-site systems are simply not as secure and are therefore more vulnerable to more frequent and more catastrophic attacks.

Attackers exploit weaknesses

It has been well reported that attackers know and will exploit the systems with the weakest security. On site environments serving one organisation are less likely to upgrade their firewall security or invest in the latest technology. However, cloud providers must do so for all their clients as they serve a wider number of businesses and operate vastly larger systems.

How can you ensure cloud security for your business?

You should really focus less on the geographical location of data and systems and more on how easy it is to access them. You need to know what data and systems could be vulnerable and the level of security required to safeguard them.

Cloud based computing is often more secure than traditional systems. You should still ensure you understand how a system works in relation to location and data access prior to investing. However, cloud based systems do provide additional security layers against attacks and vulnerabilities than traditional local based technology.