Worried About GDPR
Compliance?

You must have heard or known that the GDPR audit is a great way to determine how the regulation applies to your business. But, do you know that it is also vital in identifying critical, high risk, or weak areas of your organisation? Here’s all it can do for you.

Why is a GDPR audit essential?

According to the Article 58.1(b) of the GDPR, there is a provision that necessitates that every organisation should be willing to give the privacy watchdog the control over conducting an external GDPR audit at any point based on a mutual understanding. Organisations must therefore be prepared for this and the best way they can do so is by conducting an internal one before. An internal audit can be conducted using Seers AI-based GDPR Audit solution.

The regulator has the power to carry out investigations in the form of compulsory data protection audits as well as an obligation on firms to take control of their own compliance practices. The watchdogs predominantly conduct consensual audits, the internal audit can help maintain the harmony internally and make sure that an organisation is on the right track by following all legal obligations with ease.

How does a GDPR audit help a firm?

The Seers GDPR Audit solution is an effective way to get the help you need to monitor and engage your compliance level internally

• It is able to ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place;
• It is an automated process;
• It can be published, and it verifies or attests that the correct policies and procedures are being followed;
• Firms are able to test the adequacy of controls in place;
• It may be used to detect breaches or potential breaches of compliance;
• It can be used in recommending any required changes in control, policy and procedure.

How detailed is the GDPR audit?

The GDPR Audit solution allows adequate planning and risk assessment for individual organisations. It is based on the potential impact or likelihood of risk to freedoms and rights of individuals and the need for corresponding safety measures or policies.

The audit can be helpful in explaining or maintaining the compliance ‘history’ of the controller. It may look at the level or number of complaints made to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the controller’s responses. It may look at the firm’s ‘self-reported’ breaches and the remedial actions identified by controllers. There may be communications with the employees, stakeholders or the public that may display less effective compliance controls and/or a weak understanding of data protection legislation. These may be identified through an audit

The audit may improve the business intelligence, such as news items in the public domain which highlight problems in the processing of personal data by the controller, and information from other regulators. It may also issue or contain statements of internal control and/or other information that highlight issues in the processing of personal data. You may be able to share the data protection fees and history as well as the need for the implementation of new systems or processes where there is a public concern that privacy may be at risk.

What mistakes do organisations make?

Organisations often mistake by overlooking key aspects of complying with data privacy regulations. They may overlook their legal obligations. Which is never a good idea. It is not a good strategy to follow but many organisations do. Perhaps it's because the watchdogs have been a little lenient in the recent years. However, more and more regulators are becoming stringent with the fines day by day

It is becoming increasingly important for financial markets to no longer explicit (e.g., litigations, sales, losses) and implicit (e.g. reputation, depletion) costs due to the increased probability of the embezzlement of consumer’s personal data or failure to protect personal data of data subjects out of sheer ignorance

According to the current “following the crowd” strategy and trends many firms are waiting for others to become fully compliant. This does not result in a very competitive or effective data privacy performance. It is obviously not safe for businesses, users or the stakeholders.

Under the recent changes any updates by the ICO, French CNIL and the Irish DPC make it imperative for firms to benchmark their data privacy performance not against how the “crowd” performs, but rather against what is expected of them and what the law prescribes. For that they must stay alert and willing to handle or repair any potential deviations.

How can the Seers GDPR audit tool help?

The Seers With the help of the Seers GDPR Audit solution, organizations can identify and assess their data privacy compliance gaps and take action to mitigate these risks. They are able to discover their current gaps under GDPR and become compliant to protect themselves against hefty fines, reputational risk, loss of business and future proof their organisation.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Take the GDPR Audit as the first step towards compliance
• Identify the key gaps and risks factors within your organization
• Take action to close these gaps which could include taking the advice of a Privacy Expert.
• Ensure your organization is compliant with the requirements of the GDPR