Choosing a GDPR compliance solution offers numerous benefits to companies, allowing them to increase their level of cybersecurity and inspire confidence in their customers. Let’s focus on these two key benefits.

The deployment of a GDPR compliance solution, such as the Deepeo software (https://deepeo.eu/) developed by Infotel, is often seen by companies as a source of costs. However, the advantages of this type of solution are numerous, both for the companies themselves and for their customers, suppliers, and other partners.

GDPR compliance indeed presents numerous qualitative benefits, particularly in terms of reputation in the eyes of the company’s stakeholders, knowledge of the available data within the organization, and finally, in terms of cybersecurity.

A Real Impact of Regulation on the Level of Cybersecurity in Companies

Since 1978, cybersecurity has been part of the fundamental principles of regulation (Data Protection Act of January 6, 1978). Indeed, the lack of security in personal data processing notably risks data being retrieved by a malicious third party and used against the individuals concerned.

Since 2018, the GDPR, by raising the requirements for securing personal data, has strengthened the role of data protection authorities for all companies and administrations in terms of cybersecurity. The GDPR requires companies to implement technical and organizational measures to secure data:

• Maintain a register of data breaches
• Conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for certain sensitive processing activities
• Notify the supervisory authority of a data breach in case of risk to individuals
• Inform individuals of a data breach in case of high risk

There are few studies on the actual impact of the GDPR on the level of cybersecurity in companies. But in its “Cyber Benchmark” study from April 2023, the Wavestone firm mentions that, although it could be higher (49%), the maturity level of organizations in terms of cybersecurity increases by 3 points year over year.

It also specifies that companies subject to regulations on critical infrastructure security (NIS / Military Programming Law, etc.) stand out from others with a higher maturity score (56.1%). The GDPR is not mentioned because it does not specifically apply to critical infrastructures, but this result demonstrates, if needed, that regulation has positive effects on the level of cyber protection of companies.

The Benefits of a GDPR Compliance Solution on Cybersecurity

A GDPR compliance solution, by automating multiple processes related to personal data protection, offers numerous advantages for the teams responsible for the company’s information systems security (ISS). The CISO can thus access the data he needs on a daily basis to progress on his projects. This is particularly the case when he needs to conduct research to identify if a data breach has occurred within the organization.

The cybersecurity teams of companies also have, thanks to the Deepeo solution, a functionality allowing them to be in “read-only mode.” This allows them to simulate deletions or anonymizations of data and conduct an operational assessment before any modification.

Another interesting feature offered by some data management solutions is the creation of “exception lists.” Maintaining an “exception list” of individuals who should not be deleted or anonymized helps avoid interference, for example, with ongoing fraud investigation.

Strengthening Consumer Trust

The implementation of a GDPR compliance solution also brings significant benefits to consumers, who thus have better control over their data and are better able to assess the risks of its dissemination. More vigilant, they are less prone to fraudulent exploitation of their data or irritants such as abusive telemarketing, which cause economic harm.

This consumer well-being takes various forms. It can first concern data transfers to the cloud. Data transfer is indeed a real trust issue for French users of cloud computing solutions.

The same reasoning applies to the collection of personal data in smartphone applications. Faced with the opacity of technologies and the heterogeneity of practices, the GDPR’s mission is to make data flows visible and strengthen the compliance of mobile applications and their ecosystems, to better protect the privacy of smartphone users.

The benefits of the GDPR can also be illustrated in the field of augmented cameras and their uses. The accelerated development of so-called “augmented” cameras, often coupled with predictive algorithms, raises the question of the necessary and proportionate nature of these devices and risks large-scale surveillance of individuals. Through the CNIL, the GDPR aims to regulate both sovereign (police/judicial) and commercial uses of these devices.

As we can see, GDPR compliance is not just a matter of expenses but rather an investment to achieve a higher level of cyber maturity while creating a real climate of trust with stakeholders, foremost among them being consumers and clients of the company.