How TOSM Can Help UK & Ireland Businesses Comply With The Data Protection Act

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed in April 2016 and came into effect on 25th May 2018. The GDPR is a new data protection law that replaces Directive 95/46/EC (the Data Protection Directive) and all other EU laws relating to personal data. It will apply across the European Union (EU).

As a result of this legislation, businesses will have to ensure they have appropriate technical and organisational security measures in place if they are going to process personal data in any way.

What does the GDPR say about customer data security?

The GDPR also sets out several data security principles that businesses should follow. These are as follows:

• Data protection by design and by default involves minimising the amount of personal information you collect and storing it securely so that third parties can’t access it.
• Data minimisation means only collecting necessary to provide the service or function requested. This applies when collecting personal data directly from individuals and processing it on behalf of another organisation (such as a third-party supplier).
• Retention periods for customer records should not exceed what is needed for the purposes for which they were collected unless there is a legal obligation to keep them for more extended periods (for example, HMRC will require six years' worth of invoices in case they need to audit your compliance with tax laws).
• Segregation rules mean separating different types of data so that no one person has access rights over everything stored in one place – this prevents accidental loss or theft if an employee leaves their position unexpectedly without having had time to pass on responsibilities elsewhere within your organisation structure properly; likewise when sharing some systems between teams within an organisation who may not know each other enough yet trust each other implicitly right now but could later become adversaries due simply because human nature means we always want more power over others than we currently possess ourselves! It also helps prevent cross-contamination where confidential information gets shared inappropriately through careless error rather than malice aforethought."

What steps can be taken against Security Breaches?

To report a security breach to the ICO, you must first ensure it is not a personal data breach. If the breach falls under GDPR, it is mandatory for all businesses processing or storing EU citizens’ data to report any incidents to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

This is done through their dedicated website: https://ico.org.uk/report-a-data-breach/. You'll be asked to provide detailed information about your company, including contact information and a description of what happened and how many people have been affected by this breach.

The ICO will also need proof that you have acted quickly and securely once they are notified of an incident or risk of one occurring in the future, such as updating your software patches regularly, etcetera.

In addition to reporting breaches directly with them, several steps can be taken against perpetrators of these crimes such as taking legal action against them if necessary."

How to securely process data

The best way to minimize the risk of breaches is by keeping data as small and secure as possible.

Here are some key measures you can take:

• Data minimisation – only keeping what you need to operate, storing personal information securely and deleting it when no longer required. If a user asks for their data to be removed from your database or for a copy of their data held by you, do so within one month. Make sure that this commitment is included in any privacy policy or statement on how personal information is used, which should also be clear about which types of third parties may receive the information (e.g., analytics companies). This will help reassure them that their data will not be shared with third parties without their permission unless required by law or government request;
• Data retention – reviewing how long you keep personal information and deleting anything after it has expired;

A toolbox of measures -Technical and Organisational Security Measures (TOSMs)

TOSMs are a set of measures that can be used to secure personal data. They are not just technical measures but also organisational and procedural ones. The TOSMs help you determine the level of security you need to comply with GDPR and other data protection laws.

TOSMs are not one size fits all. It would be best if you chose the right combination for your organisation based on its size and nature and the risks involved in processing personal data.

TOSM are integral to the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR. Please get in touch with us at Datasumi if you need help.

TOSM is integral to the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR. Please get in touch with us at Datasumi if you need help.

Technical and Organisational Security Measures (TOSM) have been introduced to ensure that organisations that process personal data take steps to protect this information from unauthorised access, loss, or destruction. The ICO defines them as: “the measures an organisation puts in place to ensure its employees comply with their data protection obligations and secure personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage”. They are designed so organisations can demonstrate how they will secure the personal information they hold about individuals, how they will monitor where personal data is stored and how they will respond if someone asks them what personal information they hold about them. TOSM should be implemented by all organisations that process personal information under the GDPR regardless of size; small businesses have no exemptions according to Article 30(1)(f).

Under GDPR, individuals now have more control over their data - so much so that it may seem like a burden for many businesses, including universities! However, there are ways in which technology can help both organisations manage compliance issues related to this new law while simultaneously making life easier for students - through self-service security features such as password reset functionality on logins, two-factor authentication (2FA) via text message/e-mail verification codes; robust access controls implemented via permissions within systems like Active Directory, ensuring only relevant staff members have access rights within these systems before configuring Active Directory permission levels appropriately based upon roles played by different users.

Conclusion

In summary, the GDPR brings many improvements to data protection. However, building a compliant system isn’t always easy and can be costly. TOSMs are one way to help achieve compliance. The benefits of using them are clear: they help protect your organisation from data breaches by enforcing security measures on all people who work with personal information, whether employees or third parties.