{"id":4555,"date":"2018-02-06T06:09:48","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T14:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.couchbase.com\/blog\/?p=4555"},"modified":"2023-06-13T06:12:13","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T13:12:13","slug":"gdpr-businesses-must-focus-digital-transformation-not-just-tick-box-compliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.couchbase.com\/blog\/gdpr-businesses-must-focus-digital-transformation-not-just-tick-box-compliance\/","title":{"rendered":"GDPR: Businesses must focus on digital transformation, not just tick-box compliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)<\/a> is now a matter of months away. \u00a0Vendors of all shapes and sizes are ramping up their GDPR scare stories (e.g. the potential fines) to trigger a response from businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase is taking a more positive view of GDPR. We view securing our customers\u2019 data as one of the key building blocks for digital activity and digital interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important that each and every business takes the necessary steps to ensure their compliance by May 2108 and beyond. However, if your GDPR program is operating in a silo and solely focused on tick box compliance, then your business is missing a trick. \u00a0GDPR is<\/strong> really important, but it’s just one of many pieces of regulation that make up the fabric of interacting with customers in an increasingly digital world. It is better to keep an eye on the real challenge and, in fact, the real opportunity that we all want: supporting more digital interactions and transactions<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

More Digital Activity<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Too often we forget that the ultimate objective of GDPR is actually to enable more<\/em> digital activity. As one of many European Union initiatives, GDPR is designed to achieve a comprehensive and seamless single digital marketplace across the EU. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ticking a compliance box is easy, supporting digital is the challenge. \u00a0Customers are constantly demanding exceptional digital experiences from businesses that they engage with as the technology landscape evolves. \u00a0Customer preferences and tastes are ever changing within a shifting market and regulatory context.\u00a0 Regulation is just one moving part of servicing the customer in this new world.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Contract of Trust<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n

A key part of engaging with customers revolves around trust. \u00a0Trust that the data shared will be kept secure, used for specified reasons only, not shared without their consent, etc, etc. \u00a0Businesses need to secure customer data not just because the regulation requires it but because ongoing success requires customer trust.\u00a0 This trust is gained through careful management of the customer experience, including their data.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Couchbase as a company is no different in needing to maintain this trust with our employees, customers, prospects and users as well.<\/p>\n

As recent events continue to remind us, \u201cTrust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Another Regulation<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

GDPR is a pretty significant piece of legislation on data protection and privacy and the fines are potentially huge!\u00a0 In reality, it is just another example of regulations that already exist across various markets (PCI for financial services, HIPAA for healthcare, etc). There are similar themes underpinning regulations for securing personal data across the world whether in Europe, the Americas or any other region.<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, these regulations require businesses to clearly understand and protect the personal information they hold: what it is, where it is, who has access to it, how it is used, how it can be deleted and, in some cases even, how it is gathered.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>There are several pieces to protecting data but three key areas stand out:<\/span><\/p>\n