Mountain View, CA., 05 Dec 2017
A study from Veritas Technologies, a leader in multi-cloud data management, has found that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has the potential to drive major cultural changes in businesses worldwide. Nearly three in four respondents plan to incentivise employees to improve data hygiene and take accountability for data compliance.
According to The Veritas 2017 GDPR Report, 88% of organisations around the world plan to drive employee GDPR behavioural changes through training, rewards, penalties and contracts. Almost half (47%) of businesses will go so far as to add mandatory GDPR policy adherences into employment agreements.
Failure to adhere to contractual guidelines could have significant implications. Nearly half (41%) of respondents also plan to implement employee disciplinary procedures if GDPR policies are violated. A quarter of businesses (25%) would consider withholding benefits, including bonuses, from employees found to be non-compliant.
At the same time, 34% say they will reward employees for complying with GDPR policies, as those employees are helping to promote proper data governance within their organisations, which can lead to better business outcomes.
GDPR driving cultural changes
The report found that the vast majority of respondents (91%) admit that their organisation does not currently hold a culture of good data governance or GDPR compliance. However, as indicated above, companies understand that training is critical to driving cultural changes within their organisations.
The majority (63%) of companies believe all employees must receive mandatory training on GDPR policies. However, respondents were also quick to identify the types of employees that should be trained: 86% believe the IT department must be prioritized, closely followed by business direction and strategy employees (85%), business development/sales/channel employees (84%), legal employees (82%) and finance employees (82%).
"Data is one of the most critical assets within an organisation, yet many businesses are struggling to implement good data hygiene practices: and that often starts with employees," said Mike Palmer, executive vice president and chief product officer, Veritas. "However, our research shows that businesses are getting serious about driving cultural change within their organisations."
"As businesses consider deploying new processes and policies including training, rewards and updated contracts in support of GDPR compliance, more employees will understand the role they play in protecting their organisation's data. And, for employees that fail to take matters seriously, their bonuses and benefits may be negatively impacted."
Business benefits of GDPR compliance
While avoiding stringent regulatory penalties and fines is clearly a driver for improving an organisation's compliance posture, many companies also see major business benefits that go well beyond avoiding such sanctions. The research shows that almost all businesses (95%) see substantial business benefits to achieving GDPR compliance, including better data management across the entire organisation.
Specifically, organisations believe that once they have advanced their compliance standing, they are able to reap the following benefits:
Improve data hygiene: 92% of respondents believe that their organisation will benefit from good data hygiene, which helps drive trust in the data and improve data quality, accuracy and policy enforcement
Generate more insights: 68% believe that they will gather stronger data insights about their businesses through GDPR compliance, which can play a key role in delivering better customer experiences
Save money: 68% think that their organisation will save money
Build brand reputation: 59% believe that data compliance will also strengthen their reputation or relationships with their customers
Protect data: 51% of organisations believe they will be able to protect data more efficiently
Increase revenues: 45% expect to reduce costs, increase revenue or market share with better data management. One in five (22%) think it will ultimately help their organisations have more disposable cash, which can be used to invest in research and development (R&D) or to deploy additional resources to drive innovation.
Hire more people: A quarter (25%) say enhanced data compliance will allow the organization to employ more staff to provide better customer service
"The GDPR will take effect on 25 May 2018 and will apply to any organisation, inside or outside the EU, that offers goods or services to EU residents, or monitors their behaviour," added Palmer. "Companies that adhere to compliance not only reduce their risks of fines, but have an opportunity to offer customers better experiences through proper data management, which can impact customer loyalty, revenues and brand reputation."
Veritas also announced today significant technology advancements that can help companies comply with the GDPR. Specifically, Veritas announced a key integration between its Classification Engine and its eDiscovery Platform that will help customers quickly scan and tag data, using a pre-designed set of classification policies, to ensure that sensitive or risky information is properly managed and protected. Click here to read more on that announcement.
Detailed information on the report and the full infographic can be found here.
And, for information on how Veritas can help your organisation become GDPR compliant visit https://www.veritas.com/gdpr.
Methodology
Veritas commissioned independent technology market research specialist Vanson Bourne to undertake the research upon which this report is based.
A total of 900 business decision-makers were interviewed in February and March across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The respondents were from organisations with at least 1 000 employees, and could be from any sector. To qualify for the research, respondents had to be from organisations that do at least some business with the EU.
Interviews were conducted online using a rigorous multi-level screening process to ensure that only suitable candidates had the opportunity to participate.
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