Preparing for a no-deal Brexit

Businesses are being warned there has never been a more important time to track where their data is traveling than now, despite the continuing uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

As the clock ticks down to March 29, it is looking increasingly like the UK will leave the European Union without a trade deal. And a chief from the country’s

Havoc

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned if that occurs, it is likely to cause havoc with transporting goods and data.

Speaking at a conference in London attended by Penta in January, Jonathan Bamford, Director of Strategic Policy (Domestic) at the Information Commissioner’s Office, said: “Organisations really need to have some thoughts on the consequences of a no-deal Brexit and ensure they have contingencies in place. And that is not just for those whose data moves to and from the EU, such as by having customers or subsidiaries over there, but we see plenty of organisations which use processing or cloud services in the EU, so data flows there as well, and many organisations do not realise those service providers are not based in the UK, so this exposes a risk.”

Brexit

To help businesses prepare for a possible no-deal Brexit, the ICO has published a dedicated ‘data and Brexit’ page on its website, Mr Bamford said, although other speakers at the conference suggested companies should be on top of their data movements regardless of how Brexit could impact their operations.

Barry Moult, Director of BJM IG Privacy, said: “Do we know where all our data is? I thought so, but then a processor we used happened to mention they were now storing their data in a cloud outside the EU. We thought we knew but they had been doing this for probably six to eight months and they did not tell us, so there was an issue there.

“I think there’s still a lot of work to be done around where our data is, where it is stored and who has access to it.”

Control

Businesses which have concerns about the storage and movement of their data would do well to take control by using a dedicated cloud systems provider, such as Penta.

Based in the Swiss mountains, Penta’s datacentres are equipped with cutting edge security systems, both in physical and digital terms.

Penta is also a Microsoft-trusted partner and has started to roll out Azure to its clients, providing a one-stop shop for all their computing needs regardless of whether they have just started out or if they are looking to secure their operations in the face of tightening legislation around the world.

Regulatory standards

With Microsoft’s new datacentres in Switzerland, you can be sure you know where your company’s data is. And with more than 70 compliance ratings around the world – Microsoft meets more regulatory standards than any of its competitors.

Backed up by Penta’s ‘no deviations noted’ compliance rating, following a year-long independent audit, your business can be sure its data is in safe hands with Penta, too.

Business advice

 Advice on a no-deal Brexit
 What businesses can do to prepare
 UK ICO