THE WEEK: In the first of a new series of THE WEEK columns from VanillaPlus.com, Jeremy Cowan warns there are data pitfalls ahead for the unwary working in Europe, and beartraps in partnerships close to home.
Monday
News reaches us that IAITAM – that’s the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers to you and me – is growing increasingly concerned that US companies need to get their act together if they are to avoid serious disruption caused by new EU data privacy regulations.
They tell VanillaPlus that, “thousands of American companies that do business in Europe directly or online with European customers will need to start reckoning with data privacy regulations enacted this month by the European Union (EU).” The upcoming regulations come into full effect in just two years.
Dr. Barbara Rembiesa, IAITAM’s CEO, says: “These are sweeping changes to how personal and corporate data is to be handled and they have far-reaching implications for many aspects of U.S. businesses, particularly in terms of how information security is addressed. The days are long past when U.S. businesses could worry only about complying with laws and rules in this country (the USA). Companies that fail to start planning now to deal with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements are going to be in for a real shock.”
IAITAM has identified the top five impacts the new EU regulations will have on any organisation. They are data breaches, Data Protection Officer requirements, consent of those providing data, special handling of data related to Europeans, and the potential for hefty fines and court penalties.
Rembiesa adds: “What is important to take away here is that any organisation that processes or handles data from EU citizens must become familiar with this legislation and fully understand the impact it will have on daily business processes. Between the sweeping scope of the GDPR and the penalty structure, this is a piece of legislation that should be treated seriously and with an eye to what it will take ensure full compliance.”
If you want more info on this, have a look at the separate IAITAM news story that follows on VanillaPlus.com, and the additional resources provided on the IAITAM’s website. We have all been warned.
Tuesday
A desperate call received at OMG o’clock from a senior V+ colleague at the TM Forum Live! event in Nice, France. The joys of the French Riviera just evaporated as the couriers seem to have failed to deliver the latest issue of VanillaPlus magazine, so skilfully written and compiled by George Malim, Mark Bridges and others in an often unsung team of heroes across the UK and beyond.
To say this has spoiled his day would be a bit of British understatement. Without the latest issue he has nothing to distribute to the thousands of conference delegates and exhibition visitors attending one of the industry’s favourite shindigs held in the ever-popular Cote d’Azur sunshine. And explaining the lack of marketing collateral to all our loyal and valued sponsors and advertisers will be a challenge – this is their shop window just as much as ours.
Step forward the organised Maxine Pollington, who fulfils a vital role in our back office and is one of many who receive too little recognition for, well, fulfilling all our circulation promises. She knew they were in Nice … somewhere. Sure enough, after some urgent phone calls and a brief blizzard of texts a stash of boxes was found within the hour, lurking in the shadows a long way from where they should have been.
Our panic is over, but it’s a timely reminder that all our writers’ fine words and our clients’ glossy images so expertly designed and printed, can come to nothing if partners in the ecosystem aren’t kept on a tight rein. Take a bow, Max.
Wednesday
Today dawns for yours truly in glorious Lisbon. The Portuguese capital is one of my favourite European cities – and one I plan to explore further with the Steering Committee one day soon when she can drag me offline. Not sure what this murky grey stuff is overhead, though. Damn sure I didn’t order it, I had quite enough cloud in London. Tant pis, there’s work to be done and I expect to be indoors for the next few days networking with the best of them at WeDo Technologies’ annual Worldwide User Group & Summit meeting (Follow us at #WUGS16).
In their infinite wisdom, the good folks at WeDo have invited a few select members of the Fourth Estate – including yours truly and our esteemed magazine editor, Mr Malim – to join them and their customers. I’m looking forward to three days of discussion around all aspects of business assurance and opportunities for digital service providers. Full credit to WeDo who are clearly confident in their products and client relationships that they are happy for semi-housetrained members of the press pack like us to be given access to valued customers.
We will be bringing you news as we get it — you will find it online here at VanillaPlus.com, IoT-Now.com, IoTGlobaNetwork.com (and on Twitter @jcvplus and @VanillaPlus). It’s just me to start with, as Mr Malim is enjoying the fleshpots at TM Forum Live! before hot-footing it to Lisbon from Nice airport. Oh, the glamorous life of the ICT editor.
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