IT-enabled businesses are susceptible to outages and data breaches. Businesses and organizations of all sizes face data-related challenges like cyber attacks, phishing, duping, and data breaches. It is, therefore essential to devise an effective incident management plan in compliance with data regulations policies such as GDPR. The incident management plan aids in nullifying the detrimental effects of data breaches and malicious attempts to steal sensitive business information.  

The role of regulations in protecting user data

For businesses operating in the EU, compliance with GDPR which is replete with local data privacy laws is a mandatory requirement. All companies operating in the EU have to comply with a stringent 72-hour data breach notification window. Numerous companies face challenges in doing so. To overcome these challenges, their privacy teams need to follow the steps outlined before, during, and after an incident. It accelerates the incident response time and enables them to meet the deadline. It also improves the overall privacy and security of organizational data.   The operations of a company rely on how quick and effective their incident response and management is. While many are yet to comply with GDPR standards, services of a competent GDPR compliance solution can make compliance an effortless activity.  

GDPR step 1 for Incident Response

In a company or organization, mishaps can happen any time without any prior indication. It is, therefore necessary to be prepared for these challenges at all times. GDPR's article 33 requires businesses to report a data breach to the supervisory authority as soon as it happens. Besides, being vigilant to spot any such incident is the basic need. Therefore, the security team must have proper incident response planning and practice. Knowing that the penalty charges are hefty on failing to comply, the need to be prepared is a must.   Also, testing of the incident response plan frequently is necessary to identify gaps. Companies must develop a solid plan to handle incidents consistently.  

GDPR Step 2

Incidents like data breaches are inevitable. So once there is a data breach, you must know how to proceed further. Article 33 of GDPR outlines the steps that companies must follow to overcome these issues.   The following points are determined and documented by companies to stay compliant:- 1. Nature of breach covering number and types of data records and data subjects; 2. Point of contact or contact details of the data protection officer; 3. The consequences of the personal data breach; and 4. Proposed plan to be taken by the controller to address the data breach.   As the supervising authority observes the report after the breach happens, documenting effects and remedial actions with the steps should be carried out to save time.  

GDPR Step 3

When a data breach occurs, the 72-hour window to inform the supervisory authority starts. Organizations discuss the problem with them on this window and show the collected data. It is not possible to submit all the necessary information at once. So, article 33 allows them to provide data in phases with no delay.   Every incident raises questions that remain unanswered by showing its results. Organizations have to explain the cause of the data breach, the working of existing security measures, and ways to improve. In other words, you have to conduct an autopsy of the situation to extract all the necessary information.  

Conclusion

While organizations claim to have full proof security measures to protect the user's data, breaches still happen. As they are inevitable, being well-prepared to address such a situation is in our hands. Incident management plan in compliance with GDPR consulting services makes it simpler for organizations to tackle any such incident.  Secure your data, network, and business with an effective incident management plan to create a safe environment for your operations.