GDPR readiness in Munster lags rest of country

Monday, 12 March 2018

GDPR awareness is high among Munster firms at 89%
Clock ticking but preparations in Munster lag rest of country
Small Firms Association to launch guide for GDPR readiness in Cork on 21 March

Sven Spollen-Behrens, SFA Director, stated: “Munster businesses know that GDPR is coming, with 88% either very aware or having some awareness of the changes that will take effect on 25 May 2018. However, with the ‘go live’ date less than three months away, readiness among Munster firms is lagging the rest of the country. It is worrying that almost one in five Munster small businesses do not yet have a plan in place in relation to GDPR and 56% say that they have only started preparing.”

The SFA’s Small Business GDPR Readiness Survey, conducted over the past three weeks, shows that 28% of Munster respondents have made some preparations for GDPR, compared with 39% at national level. 56% have started to prepare, compared with 45% countrywide. No company in any region identified themselves as ‘GDPR ready’ and 17% said that they have no plan in place (same figure nationally and for the Munster region).

Mr Spollen-Behrens continued: “Many small businesses come to us feeling overwhelmed by what they have heard about GDPR, with most concerns around marketing, employee records, outsourcing and IT. The SFA’s ‘Mind your business: Prepare for GDPR’ publication, which we will launch in Cork on 21 March, provides a 12-point action plan for GDPR that uses only the minimum amount of jargon, is practical, shows opportunities as well as challenges and hopefully takes the fear element out of this new legislation. It focused on the main challenges identified by businesses, namely understanding what legal basis applies to their data, making an inventory of data and gaining and documenting consent.”