SMEs unprepared for new data regs

ISME, the Irish SME Association today have published the results of its General Data Protection Regulations survey (GDPR) which indicates many businesses are unprepared for the new regulations which come into place in a few months time.

The report gives a breakdown of GDPR compliance among SMEs and the actions taken to date on GDPR compliance.

The survey focused on knowledge, compliance and actions to be taken in light of GDPR.

The General Data Protection Regulation will come into force May 28 replacing the existing protection frameworks under the EU data protection direc

ISME CEO Neil McDonnell said the survey revealed some interesting facts.

“The results paint an interesting picture of GDPR compliance. We received a very healthy response to this survey, which tells us businesses are curious about it,” he said.

“One of the main findings is that businesses are aware of GDPR, but know very little about the intricacies of compliance,2 Mr McDonnell said.

“The impact of non-compliance of GDPR on a business could be serious, as there is a serious fines regime in place to discourage it. Businesses must take these new measures seriously,” he said.

“In order to ensure SMEs are GDPR-ready, we will be holding bespoke SME GDPR training sessions in February to assist businesses in the transition period in Dublin, Cork and Limerick,2 Mr McDonnell said.

The main finding from the survey were as follows:

Only seven per cent of businesses of businesses have completed their GDPR plan; 60 per cent of respondents use and collect Personal Data and 30 per cent are unsure if what they hold is considered Personal Data.