Takeaway: Managing personal data can be risky and expensive for organizations.

Untitled“As the amount of personal information increases multifold, individuals and their personal data will increasingly become a security target. And, yet in most scenarios the organization is still ultimately accountable for the personal data on its IT systems,” said Carsten Casper, research vice president at Gartner, Inc.

Gartner, Inc. has a five step plan to create an exit strategy:

Step 1:  

The first step to preparing a strategy for transporting personal data is to distinguish personal data from non-personal data.

Step 2:  

Once personal data is distinguished, it will need protection. Ways to protect data are:

    • Encryption
    • Virtual Machines
    • Secure Apps
    • Mobile Data Management Products
    • & many more options.

Step 3:  

Next step is to use Human Resource (HR), Customer Relationship Managment (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) programs that specialize in organizing and storing personal data.

Step 4:  

The most problematic task is guaranteeing that an organization will obey privacy standards for the transfer of personal data which is Gartner’s fourth step.  

Step 5:  

Create a practical method of discussing  Cloud computing including laws and jurisdictions for the physical location and logical location of stored personal data.