When we talk about data privacy and all the rules and regulations that belong to that intricate ecosystem, we must address the fact this regulatory landscape is always evolving. This dynamic has become the norm over the last decade or so, and 2022 isn’t going to be any different.
When the California Consumer Privacy Act was introduced, it was among the most game-changing events in terms of requirements that have occurred within the U.S., if not the biggest one yet. To make matters worse, the current global health crisis is only deteriorating the situation as it emphasizes certain aspects of personal data privacy concerns.
This means that the rising complexity of the regulatory environment must be met by the same levels of attention and responsibility in modern businesses that operate within the digital realm. If you are an organization that collects and manages any type of personal data, you must do your due diligence to secure its privacy and meet all the necessary data privacy regulation standards.
That said, here are 6 important best practices for developing a strong data privacy strategy in 2022.
1. Understand All Your Obligations
The very first thing to think about is what your main obligations are. Do thorough research to understand exactly what laws your business must comply with in order to have a strong data privacy plan.
Some aspects to consider:
- All codes of conduct for data guidance, according to your industry, like HIPAA.
- All privacy regulations, whether local, regional, or global, that your organization needs to be in compliance with – some regulations to examine include GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD.
- Contracts and related obligations that your business has with third-party entities and its consumers – especially in terms of data processing.
- How you should manage employee data.
Once all this is covered, it is time to assess risks.
2. Knowing Your Risks
It is important to be aware of the chances that some kind of law violation may occur. Be sure to assess the risks in terms of the following:
- The types of data – both employee- and customer-based
- The data from and for third-party vendors
- Who can access which data types – both internal and external
- How your main security processes are streamlined
Data breaches are always a threat, so be sure to understand what the potential consequences are and to determine the risk levels that your organization is willing to tolerate.
3. Find the Right Privacy Framework
Creating a strong privacy framework means having well-structured guidelines for gathering, approaching and integrating all the necessary compliance rules and requirements that apply to your industry and your business.
Once you have implemented an effective strategy that clearly defines and outlines your data privacy procedures and processes, your company will be able to:
- Minimize data loss
- Pinpoint areas of high risk
- Abide by all the laws, regulations, and standards through the right infrastructure
This brings us to:
4. Use The Right Tools
In order to have an optimal data privacy plan in place, businesses need to set up the right infrastructure and use the right technology for the job. This is why it is strongly recommended that you research optimal solutions, tools and hardware that you might be needing in order to achieve proper data governance and regulatory compliance.
Some of these infrastructure components include data management add-ons, security layers, email archiving solutions, data analytics tools, data archiving plans, versatile data management tools, while at the same time having a proper data and email retention policy in place.
5. Map the Flow of Your Data
It is a good idea to always know where your data is and how it is managed while it is flowing through your company. The data mapping process should help you understand the following:
- If the data comes from customers, staff, or third party entities
- The purpose of particular data
- How the data is entering your organization and in which form
- The storage location
- Who can access it and from where exactly.
Typically, privacy regulations tend to require businesses to have a firm grasp of the exact ways their data is being managed, accessed, processed, stored, etc. This is where the data mapping strategy comes into play – to help you understand the structure of your data flow and ensure full compliance.
6. Document Your Privacy Policies
Not only is documenting a company’s privacy policy a typical requirement under certain laws but this process can also help businesses be transparent in terms of how they are using consumer data and for what purposes.
But it’s not all about the consumer. Your privacy policy document should also cover all the necessary rules and guidelines for important concepts like consent, access, and breach management for your staff members.
Over to You
The data privacy realm is always changing. This is why business leaders must make sure that their company is following all the necessary rules and regulations and that they are always up to date with the latest changes.
