When the new GDPR rules were introduced in 2018, businesses quickly had to adapt working processes to bring them in line with the regulations. With fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of a company’s annual global turnover at stake, there is no margin for error when it comes to GDPR compliance.
For businesses managing large volumes of data and digital assets, GDPR compliance can be challenging but technology solutions such as DAM systems have proven to be highly effective at achieving GDPR compliance.
As well as avoiding hefty fines, GDPR compliance helps to build trust with existing and prospective customers. If customers can see that you operate in a professional and compliant way, they are more likely to do business with you.
Modern DAM systems feature a host of powerful features that are designed to improve data protection compliance. GDPR rules include data minimisation – only obtaining information that there is a genuine need for. Keeping accurate data and storage limitation are also GDPR principles.
A comprehensive DAM system can ensure GDPR compliance through the following features:
Businesses are required to securely store personal or sensitive data and the advanced security features of DAM systems can enhance the security of asset storage. Role-based permissions help safeguard personal data by preventing unauthorised access. DAM systems can be integrated with AAD network security protocols and SSO to further enhance the security of data and reduce the risk of cyber security threats.
You can set audit dates for assets to be reviewed, checking whether information is still accurate, and you can use DAM to flag deadlines for data retention. You can also set up security audits to help monitor any unusual access behaviour and identify potential cyber threats.
Implementing a DAM strategy enables tracking of asset access and modifications, providing an audit trail that can be used to demonstrate compliance. As well as helping with GDPR compliance, having an audit trail with reporting features removes a significant amount of the manual work that can be required to provide compliance reports to regulatory authorities.
Reports such as data deletion records can be easily pulled from your DAM system, as well as activity logs of logins and who has accessed assets and when.
DAM systems can also help businesses comply with copyright laws, storing licence information for assets and reducing the risk of copyright infringement. Many DAM systems have digital rights management settings that allow you to add copyright agreement details for each asset. If you operate across international markets, you can apply specific copyright laws for different regions.
Your DAM strategy can also include consent management, storing consent permissions for assets such as photos and storing and linking consent forms to assets.
Compliance strategies can be time-consuming and complex, but DAM systems can lighten the workload and drive compliance with the GDPR principles. If you would like to learn more about how DAM can improve GDPR compliance and deliver many more benefits to your business, book a one-to-one demo with our team today.
