5 reasons why the GDPR is a blessing in disguise

On May 25th it was exactly one year since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced in the European Union. A wave of consent forms and awareness around personal identifiable data swept across Europe. Although opinions may differ about the effect and burden it placed on both large and small companies; let’s face it, we were on a straight path towards creating a Wild West of the data mining age – and there was a desperate need for a new sheriff in town.

In this article, we list five reasons why the GDPR is a blessing in disguise and what measures Prezentor takes to ensure that we as a company and our customers always are GDPR compliant.

1. Taking an honest look at ourselves

GDPR forces all data collectors to take an honest look at themselves and ask – Why are we collecting specific data? Are our data subjects aware of it and okay with us collecting their data? And are we storing data in a safe way? More importantly, it creates awareness about end-user and consumer rights while offering a definition of personal identifiable data.

2. There’s no such thing as a free lunch…

…but you should always be aware of what you’re paying with. There is a new currency in the market, and it’s called personal identifiable data. We have quickly become used to paying with our data to access information or to use digital products or services. However, before the GDPR it wasn’t always clear to the user when or to what extent he or she was “paying” in exchange for a product or service. Active consent to tracking and having the possibility to influence the data trace we leave behind through opting in or out creates a much-needed awareness and a more balanced market.

3. The right to be forgotten

Today most people are aware that we all leave data trails behind us, whenever we use digital products and services. This is the transactional agreement between the buyer and the seller. However, should you stop using a product or service, it is no longer the seller's right to store and use your personal identifiable data. The right to be forgotten is a hugely important aspect of GDPR, giving back the power to end users of his or her personal identifiable data.

4. Handling data for what it is – a commodity

Technology comes with amazing opportunities to collect, store and use data. And while most companies and organizations do so for honest reasons and with the best intentions for providing a better customer experience, it is not the case for every company or organization. If personal identifiable data ends up in the wrong hands, it can be extremely harmful to individuals and organizations. Hence, we must treat data like we treat any other commodity. Making sure all valuable data is stored in a safe and encrypted manner and only accessible to those that have explicit access rights – regardless if it being company financials, product blueprints, employee information or customer insights – it is an absolute must.

5. Taking a stand

By creating a legal framework on how personal identifiable data should be collected, stored, and used, we collectively take a stand for what we want our data age world to be like. With the lightning speed that technology evolves, the GDPR in its current shape is not the final answer but rather a good start to creating order in the Wild West.

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With great power comes great responsibility

As a company providing our customers with the possibility to create intelligent presentations that hold the power to automatically collect customer and seller behaviour insights, data security is at our heart. To operate in a transparent way and according to the highest standards is a must.

Therefore, we take a number of proactive measures to ensure that we as a company and our users always are GDPR compliant so that our customers can be confident that their data and their end users’ data is handled securely.

1. Making it easy for our customers to be GDPR compliant is fundamental

Therefore, we provide tracking consent forms - even in our free plans. Always ask before you track. Learn how to activate and personalize tracking consent forms for your end users here.

2. Providing our end users with an easy way to be forgotten

Users can have their data removed from the Prezentor platform. Learn more on how easy it is to delete user data from Prezentor here.

3. Proactively auditing our GDPR data security compliance

When choosing a sales enablement platform to strengthen your marketing and sales, data security and GDPR compliance should never need to be one of your concerns. To demonstrate that Prezentor operates according to the highest security standards and with our customers' best interest in mind, we asked PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct a GDPR data security compliance audit. Curious about the audit itself or how we work proactively to ensure GDPR compliance? Reach out here.

Some might see GDPR as a tedious must, but we dare to argue that it is the opposite. It is an opportunity to create transparency around data collection and a possibility to set the standard for operating in a responsible and sustainable way.

Sara Leander-Pehrson, CEO, Prezentor