GDPR Training Modules: Educate Your Users About Data Privacy

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is primed to reshape data privacy on a global scale, and organizations that process and/or hold the personal data of EU residents will be required to properly and securely manage that data — or face hefty fines. Given that employees at all levels within these organizations have access to personal data, it’s critical that end users be immediately factored into the compliance equation.

The best way to do that is to raise employees’ awareness of the requirements associated with GDPR compliance; data protection training will help them understand their role in maintaining compliance with this data security standard; and educate them about the best practices they should apply in their day-to-day work activities in order to help maintain compliance. And with the May 25, 2018, GDPR enforcement date upon us, there’s no time like the present for a GDPR training.

Scenario-Based Security Awareness Training Teaches Users to Make Better Decisions  

Our 2018 Beyond the Phish® Report revealed that one cybersecurity topic continues to be the top sore spot for employees: protecting confidential information. Our analysis of assessment and training data showed that end users incorrectly answered 25% of questions about the GDPR and other compliance-related subjects.

To help organizations close the GDPR knowledge gap, we now offer two interactive GDPR training modules within our education portfolio: the recently updated GDPR Overview module and a new GDPR in Action module. These two modules will help organizations and Data Protection Officers educate employees about the GDPR, a critical need since end users will be relied upon to protect the sensitive data of EU residents.

GDPR Overview

We first launched our GDPR Overview module a year ago in order to help organizations as they ramped up for the May 25 enforcement date. New updates reflect the most recent interpretations of the GDPR, but as before, the GDPR training module offers an excellent way to introduce end users to the requirements of the regulation and the concept of data privacy. You can use this module to help employees understand why they need to be active participants in overall GDPR compliance.

GDPR in Action

Our new GDPR in Action module complements the GDPR Overview training by presenting more in-depth, action-oriented scenarios that challenge users to think about how the new regulation impacts their day-to-day business activities. This module is designed to minimize an organization’s risk of non-compliance with the regulation by making end users aware of the types of information that are protected under the GDPR and giving actionable advice on how to handle EU residents’ personal data.

GDPR in Action provides the following benefits:

• It explores the concepts that are essential to the GDPR and how they affect organizations that hold and manage personal data of EU residents.
• It teaches end users what is considered personal data and how it can show up in unexpected places.
• It leverages scenario-based training, giving end users thought-provoking situations to evaluate, with real-time feedback on their decisions.

Factor End Users Into Your Compliance Equation

In speaking about the GDPR and the release of the new GDPR in Action module, Joe Ferrara, our General Manager, stressed that employees must be factored into compliance-related activities leading up to and following the enforcement date. “The GDPR will bring monumental changes in the way the world handles the personal data of EU residents,” he said. “Organizations cannot afford for their end users to lack understanding around these new regulations.”