Channel still has plenty of work to do around GDPR

It has been almost three months since GDPR came into being but there are still plenty of customers not yet up to speed with the data regulations.

There might have a been a pause in the discussion about data regulations, and it was largely absent from the InfoSec show in early June, as the channel and customers drew breath after what had been months of talking about GDPR.

But those operating in the data and security worlds are staring to return to the subject and are signalling that it is going to be an area of business for the channel in Q4 and beyond.

Neal Lillywhite, VP EMEA channel at Forcepoint, said that GDPR was going to be a long-term feature of the market and would drive revenue for partners over the course of the rest of this year.

"GDPR is here to stay, so the opportunity for the channel to provide counsel and support will extend well beyond Q4," he said.

"Processes implemented by businesses in order to become and remain GDPR compliant should now be viewed as best practice, so it is now up to the channel to make informed and intelligent recommendations on the best services and solutions for customers to invest in. This will not only ensure that their compliance is sustainable but also provide the opportunity for these customers to build on and improve these practices to further strengthen their position," he added.

Giving a sense of just what the opportunity looks like in Q4 comes from digital marketing agency, MarketingSignals.com, which has found that 37% of businesses admitted that they were not compliant.

Further questioning of customers revealed that 27% have not secured the data in case of a ransomware attack.

“The research shows there are many ways that businesses are admitting to not following the newly enforced GDPR regulations. GDPR is the most fundamental change to ever happen to data privacy, so it is imperative that businesses follow this and complete the process as soon as possible," said Gareth Hoyle, managing director at MarketingSignals.com.

“Businesses need to understand that acting responsibly and ethically with customer data is crucial to protect and enhance brand reputation and ensure customer trust. Not only this, but it will enhance the quality of data collected which is a good thing for UK businesses," he added.

Where the channel might need to do some work is in underlining the benefits of becoming compliant and the stepping stone it could provide for digital transformation projects. The MarketingSignals.com research found that 17% of customers were still unsure about what the benefits of being compliant were.