In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, compliance with data protection laws has become ever more vital. But despite the swift and severe consequences of breaching those regulations, many organisations still fall foul. A recent report suggests that UK businesses faced over £42 million in GDPR fines in 2022. And while some of those incidents will be malicious, many are due to data mismanagement, poor processes and misunderstanding obligations.
So, we find ourselves examining the growing importance of robust data protection measures and how these regulations are driving innovation in our sector.
The Global Regulatory Landscape
Regulations around data privacy exist in all corners of the globe – from Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the stringent Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) in Illinois to the newly tightened California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Navigating these regulations can present a tangled web of legislation and requirements, particularly as many have varying degrees of data protection, differing consent requirements, and even conflicting rules between jurisdictions. For those businesses operating across the globe, there are many challenges to maintaining compliance. That is unless they adapt and invest in technology that can ensure they remain compliant wherever they do business.
How Regulations Impact Technology
Compliance fundamentally shapes how technology is designed and developed. Understanding the needs of the outcome creates the environment for development. For example;
- GDPR’s ‘Privacy by Design’ puts data protection through technology design front and centre. This concept led to a swathe of encryption solutions and secure data storage strategies – it is now far more common to see data protection hard-baked into products and services.
- BIPA’s Influence on Biometrics: While data capture caused waves, biometric data collection created a tidal wave of questions and concerns. The challenges led to innovation—some of which are at the heart of our HCM solutions—in facial recognition and fingerprint technology.
- Flexibility with Function: Since many businesses investing in HCM solutions work across different regions, their tech needs to provide a way to manage differing regional compliance requirements. The ability to adjust data protection levels, consent procedures, and other aspects based on the location of its users is quickly becoming critical.
Strategies for Success
Companies can’t afford to take a passive stance when it comes to compliance. Besides legal obligations, a duty of care to your employees needs to be a driving force behind your active approach to data security.
To ensure adherence to applicable compliance regulations, a business should consider:
Legal Expertise
Invest in guidance from specialists in data privacy laws to ensure you have all the right information. Compliance regulations are shifting sands, and professional support can keep you in the clear.
Invest in Technology
While duty of care will always remain with the data controller, technology like our HCM solutions, can provide a simple and secure way to manage your data while maintaining compliance with differing regulations.
Robust encryption, secure data handling, and auditable processes all present a compelling solution to the data compliance problem.
Compliance Super-Charges Change
There’s no doubt that compliance is a headache – a necessary but challenging obstacle to global business. But these obstacles present our industry with a catalyst for innovation – a space for us to demonstrate our expertise and excel where it matters. In delivering HCM solutions that address the data privacy issues of today, but with a keen eye on tomorrow.
At Grosvenor Technology, we understand the vital role compliance plays in the success of businesses worldwide. We designed our solutions to help simplify the complexities of data protection regulations.
To discover more about our HCM solutions, click here.