Mention the words ‘data protection’ and in many cases a collective groan of despair and exasperation is involuntarily emitted by anyone in the vicinity. However as much as people dread the phrase, we all understand how important it is to protect our and our clients’ data.
Since the introduction of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) on 25 May 2018, the way that companies and organisations handle and protect data has been harmonised with all other EU member states.
The next obvious question is how will Brexit affect GDPR in the UK? In essence the answer is very little will change, as the UK has adopted a new Data Protection Act which largely includes all the provisions of the GDPR. There are some small changes but our law is largely the same.
In the full text of GDPR there are 99 articles setting out the rights of individuals and obligations placed on organisations covered by the regulation. But in a nutshell:
- There are 8 rights for individuals. These include granting people easier access to the information that companies hold about them, the responsibility of organisations to obtain clear consent before collecting any information, and a new regime of fines for any rule breaking.
- Data leaks have to be officially reported within 72 hours.
- Large companies need to document why they hold any data.
- Companies are expected to limit the processing, collect only that data which is necessary, and not keep personal data once the processing purpose is completed.
However data protection and GDPR doesn’t stop when you, or your old computer does.
Data protection can become even more pressing when considering upgrading or replacing old computer, telecoms and other IT equipment, especially if the equipment has ever been used to store data.
Compete and secure data destruction is actually much harder than you think, therefore it is always recommended that you employ the services of a specialist computer recycling company or data erasure specialist when you are getting rid of any old equipment.
Often there is a cost associated with this, but this can be seen as a necessary evil to ensure your organisations’ data protection compliance. However there is another way.
Buy IT Back are specialists in not only providing a complete data destruction service, but are also able to recondition and resell much of your now completely wiped equipment and are able to pass some of this payment onto you. So rather than paying to fully clear your old equipment of data before then paying to treat it as waste, Buy IT Back can pay you to do all of these things for you! To find out more contact Buy IT Back today.
