On May 25th, 2018, an enormous change will take place in the EU. If you are located outside of the EU or you do not have a business unit there, you might think you can safely ignore this blog post. The problem is, you most likely cannot, especially if you are going to be carrying out a B2B integration project.
GDPR, a set of sweeping privacy regulations, will stretch beyond the EU’s borders to protect its citizens’ confidential data. If you do not comply with the new regulations you can face heavy fines. Learn what to consider when you are preparing for a B2B integration project while complying with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
Who Is Going to Be in Charge?
To successfully undertake a B2B integration project, you need someone in charge who knows what he or she is doing. That is especially crucial in the age of GDPR because the person in charge needs to be familiar with how to keep your organization compliant.
Experts recommend putting a data protection officer in charge of ensuring compliance, but what if you do not have someone who has experience dealing with B2B integration projects and who understands the requirements? Turning to a third-party B2B integration expert who is familiar with them can save you plenty of headaches in the long run.
What Data Do You Have?
One of the first steps of an integration project is compiling a record of the types of information you hold. This takes on a new sense of urgency when it comes to the new regulations; you must understand what types of personal information you hold and where they are stored.
The reason this step is important in integration is that data can be in different formats, and it might need to be “cleaned” so that it can be stored and utilized by a single system. When it comes to the new regulations, this step becomes more important because knowing how much personal customer information you have helps you limit your liability.
Where Is Your Data?
This question has two parts: where is your information being stored and where is it going? In an integration project, you need to know where your data resides so that it can be brought into a central repository. The second question is highly relevant to GDPR. You need to know where your customers’ personal data travels to, and whether those organizations and countries have adequate information protection policies in place.
This step in the checklist is known as “data mapping” because you are mapping out your data sources. During the data mapping process, you can figure out whether the information that you are storing travels anywhere, and if those destinations are safe. At this point, you should also check whether the repository of a given set of information is vulnerable to hackers so you can shore up its defenses.
In the age of these new regulations, B2B integration needs to be handled with expertise and care. The right partner can make this process smooth and hassle-free. To learn more, contact us today!
