GDPR Isle of Wight, is it prepared? Neil shares this latest news from the Federation of Small Businesses.
Let us know how your business is getting on with GDPR compliance. Ed
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) research, published today, shows that over a third (33%) of small businesses have not started preparing for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) while a further third (35%) are only in the early stages of preparations.
May 2018 deadline
Only six per cent of small businesses have completed their preparations. In light of the findings, FSB is launching a GDPR awareness-raising campaign, dubbed ‘BeDataReady’ in the run up to the May deadline.
A sector breakdown shows that the hospitality sector and the arts & entertainment sector are the least prepared with 53 per cent and 52 per cent of respondents, respectively, having not yet started preparing for the changes.
The financial services sector is the most prepared with 82 per cent of respondents having started their preparations.
Biggest shake-up in data protection to date
Mike Cherry, FSB National Chairman, said:
“FSB is in a unique position to reach small businesses and so we’re going to step up efforts to help and support them get data ready, while continuing to make sure the Government implements the regulation in the fairest way for small firms.
“The GDPR is the biggest shake-up in data protection to date and many small businesses will be concerned that the changes will be too much to handle. It’s clear that a large part of the small business community is still unaware of the steps that they need to take to comply and may be left playing catch-up.”
Campaign welcomed
The FSB campaign is being welcomed by UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who said:
“Research suggests the SME sector is less prepared than others for the changes. We know that many small businesses are keen to get it right, but with so much misinformation out there it’s difficult for them to know what’s right and what’s not. It is therefore very welcome that FSB is running this campaign.”
OnTheWight asks: GDPR Isle of Wight : How are you getting on? Do you need help?
GDPR will impact every Isle of Wight business. It comes into effect on 25 May 2018 with very large fines for not complying (up to €20 million or 4% of the company’s global annual turnover, whichever is higher).
We at OnTheWight have spent a lot of time researching GDPR and are on the journey ourselves – frankly, there’s a huge amount to consider and deal with.
If you hold any information about people, your business needs to be getting prepared now. Let us know how you’re getting on, or if you need help.
