The first step toward a strong data privacy program begins when you stop seeing privacy as a security problem and start seeing it as a strategic advantage. Privacy isn’t a security box to be checked off, but should be a continuous part of the checks and balances that comprise all your business processes. How can you try to build data privacy and security into every new product or process? Follow these tips to help build a foundation for your strategy:
Step 1: Data privacy requires cross-department alignment and collaboration
Privacy is a team sport. It is an enterprise-wide initiative. Data privacy requires action and input from every part of the business that personal data touches, so seek out relevant stakeholder and executive support from the very beginning. This team may include members from marketing, operations, legal, product development, and others, in addition to security and IT groups. Data privacy compliance is a continuous process that needs to adapt, which means cross-team collaboration is necessary from planning to executing to operationalizing.
Step 2: Do some serious personal data soul-searching
If your privacy program has holes, don’t hide them – find them! Do a thorough and honest privacy risk assessment of your personal data to understand what data you have, how the data is being used, and what data privacy protection you currently have in place. Start to understand what risks you face right now and what your obligations are to customers, employees, partners, and regulators. This can help you to start building out a roadmap to your desired privacy maturity.
Step 3: Consider compliance and customer demands on data privacy to be moving targets
Privacy rules and requirements are constantly changing and evolving. As soon as you address compliance, you might be at risk of falling out of compliance if there’s a shift in regulations. Often times, regulations shift in response to individuals demanding greater data protection and privacy. That’s why it’s important that businesses view their privacy strategy as an ongoing journey – get where you need to be today to satisfy customers and regulators and be prepared to move tomorrow as customer attitudes and new regulatory changes are introduced.
Step 4: Your assessment should inform your strategy and technology investments
Once you have a good idea of where your personal data is and its risks, you should feel better prepared to start executing on your data privacy goals and business objectives. This visibility into the data landscape allows you and your stakeholders to tweak your internal data privacy standard for handling personal data, as well as other aspects of your data privacy and security strategies. Look to see what existing security, privacy, and data tools you can extend to cover privacy gaps. Then, start identifying where additional investment in technology should be prioritized.
Make data privacy a strategic imperative
Organizations that go beyond simply complying with regulatory requirements can help build trust with customers and users and potentially stand out from their competitors. Read this Forrester report to learn how you can deliver trusted customer experiences.
“Now more than ever before, data security and privacy is much more than cost reduction and compliance. It is a driver of resilience, revenue, and growth.” 1
1 Forrester Research, Inc., The Future Of Data Security And Privacy: Growth And Competitive Differentiation, 19 January 2021.
