‘GDPR Compliance for Storage Pros: Essentials’

Essential Knowledge

Introduction: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area, came into effect on May 25, 2018. This regulation imposes new rules on organizations handling EU citizens’ data, regardless of where the organizations are located. Storage professionals play a crucial role in ensuring GDPR compliance for their organizations. In this article, we will discuss the key aspects of GDPR that storage professionals must understand.

  1. Understanding GDPR: GDPR is designed to give individuals control over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU. It applies to all companies processing the personal data of EU citizens, regardless of the location of the company.

  2. Data Protection Principles: GDPR outlines several data protection principles that organizations must adhere to. These principles include:

  • Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency
  • Purpose limitation
  • Data minimization
  • Accuracy
  • Storage limitation
  • Integrity and confidentiality
  1. Rights of Data Subjects: GDPR grants individuals several rights regarding their personal data. These rights include:
  • The right to be informed
  • The right of access
  • The right to rectification
  • The right to erasure
  • The right to restrict processing
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object
  • Rights related to automated decision making and profiling

  1. Data Protection Officer: Under GDPR, organizations are required to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to oversee data protection strategy and implementation. The DPO is responsible for ensuring that the organization complies with GDPR and acts as a point of contact for data protection authorities and individuals.

  2. Data Protection Impact Assessment: A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is a process used to identify and mitigate potential privacy risks before processing personal data. Storage professionals should be familiar with the DPIA process and ensure that their organization conducts DPIAs when necessary.

  3. Encryption and Data Security: GDPR requires organizations to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of personal data. Encryption is a crucial aspect of data security, and storage professionals should ensure that their organization’s encryption policies meet GDPR requirements.

  4. Breach Notification: In the event of a data breach, GDPR requires organizations to notify individuals and data protection authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach. Storage professionals should ensure that their organization has a breach notification plan in place and that they are familiar with the process.

Conclusion: GDPR compliance is a critical aspect of data management for storage professionals. By understanding the key principles of GDPR and the rights of data subjects, and by implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures, storage professionals can help ensure that their organization remains GDPR compliant.