With major changes to data protection and information security rules set to come into effect later this year, Palmers is linking up with Rochford District Council to offer local businesses the chance to get up to speed with best practice.
Lawyers from our firm will present at the Rochford District Business Breakfast on Wednesday 24 January.
The event comes just months before major changes to the UK’s data protection rules are enacted when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on 25 May 2018.
Our specialists will discuss the steps that businesses need to take immediately to ensure they are compliant with the new regime and will outline the potentially steep penalties associated with breaches.
Meanwhile, the ever-present threat of cybercrime will also be on the agenda at the event, with a discussion covering how criminals operate, the impact of cybercrime and what to consider from an IT, training and insurance perspective.
Partner, BJ Chong, said: “Information is so ubiquitous that it can be easy to overlook quite how much of it even the smallest businesses possesses and processes on a daily basis.
“However, it is important for business owners and managers to be mindful of the information they are storing and processing, as failing to properly manage it can lead to significant reputational, regulatory and financial damage.
“With the enactment of the GDPR on 25 May 2018, the potential costs of failing to properly manage business information will dramatically increase, with courts able to issue fines of €20 million or four per cent of annual turnover, whichever is greater.”
He added that, on top of this, businesses will also need to be alert to stricter rules on gaining explicit consent from individuals about how their data is used, rather than relying on so-called ‘implied consent’.
We expect this free event to be oversubscribed, so anyone wishing to attend should book their place now.