Cybersecurity Awareness: helping European SMEs understand their risk of sanction under the GDPR

In today’s digital businesses, the usage of data has increased business profitability and efficiency. At the same time, it also has potential security risks that could devastate an organisation.

Organisations can’t ignore the migration of the risk as data protection is no longer an option now, it’s a must.

Data protections involve ensuring strong security for personal data and all the associated activities involved with collecting, storing, processing, accessing, transmitting, sharing and disposing of the data.

Any organisation, regardless of its size, that does not implement data protection faces significant liability and huge fines for non-compliance with laws, regulations, standards and their own published privacy and security notices.

Cyberwatching.eu GDPR Temperature Tool: helping SME improve their cybersecurity offering

As the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018, the majority of business leaders believe that it is essential to comply with the GDPR, especially as companies can risk crippling fines. The GDPR is a key pillar of Europe’s strategy and reflects the high standard of privacy in Europe.

A priority for Europe is “preserving high privacy, security, safety and ethical standards” stated Ursula von der Leyden in her political guidelines for the next EU Commission 2019-2024. She continues, “We already achieved this with the General Data Protection Regulation, and many countries have followed our path”[1].

Cyberwatching.eu is the European observatory of research and innovation in the field of cybersecurity and privacy. Funded under the European Commission's H2020 programme, Cyberwatching.eu has launched the GDPR Temperature Tool.

The GDPR Temperature tool will help SMEs to understand where they stand with respect to the GDPR in terms of risks of sanctions. This tool consists of questions about data processing activities, also providing an indication of the company’s risk of sanctions and corresponding actionable recommendations coming directly from ICT Legal Consulting, a law firm with plenty of expertise in the area.

Cybersecurity technology is changing rapidly, and businesses need a cybersecurity strategy to protect their own business, their customers, and their data from growing cybersecurity threats.

Evaluate your risk of GDPR-related sanctions now!