Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in May 2018, many organizations have been scrambling to determine whether and how they can achieve compliance for this highly stringent set of privacy rules. Given that a GDPR breach can result in fines of up to €20 million or 4% of your company’s global revenue (whichever is higher), making sure your company is receiving expert guidance in safeguarding against breaches and resulting lawsuits is critical.
And so there has emerged a significant demand for highly qualified GDPR consultants to assist organizations in understanding and ensuring adherence to the GDPR rules. One of the most important areas a GDPR consultant can help is in the area of employee training to create awareness and understanding of the GDPR and how it applies to each employee’s specific job role.
What is the GDPR?
The GDPR is a framework that applies to organizations in all EU member-states, but also has implications for businesses and individuals around the world. Essentially, the GDPR has established a new set of rules created to offer EU citizens a greater level of control over their personal data. The GDPR adds structure to the regulatory environment in order for citizens and businesses in the European Union to fully benefit from the digital economy.
The GDPR outlines processes through which organizations must ensure that personal data is collected legally with adherence to a new set of standards. In addition, those who collect and manage this data must protect it from misuse and exploitation. They must also to respect the rights of data owners as failing to do so will result in significant fines and penalties.
Importantly, the GDPR applies to any organization that operates within the EU, but it also applies to companies outside of the EU that provide goods or services to customers or businesses within the EU. This essentially means practically every major corporation in the world must build and adhere to a GDPR compliance strategy.
The Need for GDPR Consultants
Through their efforts to understand and achieve GDPR compliance, many organizations (especially small businesses) may come to the realization that they do not have the expertise in-house to be sure they are doing everything they need to do. For these companies, hiring a GDPR consultant can be a good option to gain access to the necessary expertise and guidance in a timely manner.
The primary areas in which a GDPR consultant can provide assistance include:
Creating a compliance gap analysis and roadmap
Evaluating your current data protection measures to identify areas for improvement
Assessing current privacy policies and associated
Ensuring the proper steps are taken to obtain customer consent
Coordinating efforts with all relevant stakeholders
Creating a strategy for building employee awareness and training for the GDPR
The Need for Employee Training to Help Ensure GDPR Compliance
Ultimately, achieving GDPR compliance is the responsibility of everyone within your company, not just the executives and IT staff. A comprehensive GPR consulting engagement will include efforts to help employees understand and comply with GDPR. A GDPR learning program can help guard against breaches through the implementation of a comprehensive communication and training strategy. In fact, the GDPR requires that companies take the necessary steps to educate and train their workers on how to handle and manage personal data under the new the GDPR rules.
eLearning for GDPR Consultants
In recent years, as cloud-based technologies have continued to evolve, online learning or “eLearning” has emerged as a cornerstone for all types of employee training, including GDPR and other compliance-based training programs.
LMS Portals provides a cloud-based, multi-tenant learning management system (LMS) that allows our clients and GDPR consulting partners to launch and manage multiple, private eLearning environments as the foundation for their GDPR awareness and training programs.
Using LMS Portals, GDPR consultants can quickly build, deliver, and manage eLearning courses to support GDPR compliance and ensure that each employee has access to the information and courses they need, given their specific job role. The system includes all of the tools required to manage and track employee participation and progress in these learning programs.
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