The GDPR expands the privacy rights granted to European individuals and requires certain companies that process the personal data of European individuals to comply with a new set of regulations. In particular, the GDPR may apply to companies that process the personal data of European individuals and have a presence in the EU and to companies that do not have any presence in the EU but target the European market or monitor the behavior of European individuals.

We’re here to help our customers in their efforts to comply with the GDPR.

What is GDPR?
In 2016, the European Union (EU) approved a new privacy regulation called the General Data Protection Regulation is commonly known as the GDPR. It’s a mandatory ruling that applies to all companies that collect the data and information of EU individuals and meet certain territorial requirements. The GDPR is designed to strengthen the security and protection of personal data in the EU, as well as provide businesses with a structured framework on how to collect, process, use, and share personal data. Under the GDPR, the concept of “personal data” is very broad and covers almost any information relating to a specific individual.

When are these regulations starting to be enforced?
All companies collecting or processing the personal data of EU individuals must have been GDPR compliant by May 25, 2018.

Controllers and Processors
The GDPR defines and distingue between two types of parties and responsibilities when it comes to collecting and processing personal data: data controllers and data processors. A data controller determines the purposes and ways that personal data is processed, while a data processor is a party that process data on behalf of the controller. That means that the controller could be any company or organization. A processor could be a SaaS, IT or other company that is actually processing the data on behalf of the controller. Worksuite, in nearly all cases, is a Data Processor. Worksuite customers (the organizations who use Worksuite) are Data Controllers. The controller is responsible to make sure that all processors with whom it deals will be GDPR compliant and the processors themselves must keep records of their processing activities.

What steps were taken by Worksuite following the GDPR requirements?

We welcome the arrival of GDPR and view the regulations as raising the bar for data protection, security, and compliance. We will continue to be committed to our customers and users to help them comply with the GDPR while using Worksuite as their data processor.

We worked with our engineering, product, security and legal teams to make both our product and our legal terms in line with the GPDR and will continue to ensure they keep in line continuously. As part of the Worksuite GDPR readiness project we’ve taken the following steps:

• Reviewed and strengthened our security infrastructure and practices, data encryption in transit and at rest, backup, logs and security alerts.
• A risk assessment and data mapping process were made to make sure any data that may be stored or processed is processed and managed according to the GDPR instructions.
• We delete or anonymize analytics data of users after user’s deletion.
• We’ve made sure we have the appropriate contractual terms in place, to perform our role as a data processor for our customers while complying with the GDPR.
• We’ve put in place all the internal procedures, processes and controls and recurring training sessions for the team, to ensure our on-going compliance with the GDPR.
• We’ve revised our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to support the GDPR requirements.
• Performed an assessment of our sub-processors to ensure they are all complying with the GDPR requirements.
• We are working on features that make managing your data even easier.
• We’ll continue to monitor the guidance around GDPR compliance and will ensure that our product and processes are complying with new guidelines when they become effective.

Does Worksuite offer a Data Processing Agreement (DPA)?

We make it easy for Worksuite customers to review, sign and submit our Data Processing Addendum (DPA). The DPA helps meet onward transfer requirements under the GDPR. Our DPA template can be downloaded from here. Once you’ve signed the DPA, email a signed copy to privacy@worksuite.com and we’ll provide you with a countersigned copy.

Does the GDPR prevent a company from storing data outside of the EU?
GDPR does not prevent businesses from storing data outside of the EU, provided that the data processors adhere to the necessary regulations and protections. At Worksuite, we store our data with Amazon Web Service (AWS), which is based in the US. Like Worksuite, AWS has announced that it is GDPR ready.

Where can I learn more about GDPR?
Additional information is available on the official GDPR website of the European Union.