Data security is crucial for modern businesses. Many organizations have to comply with industry standards and European regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Ensuring data security and adhering to relevant laws and regulations may seem challenging, especially when multiple business applications are in use. That's why it's essential to choose tools with built-in security.
Before choosing a new application, determine whether this application will aid you in complying with applicable laws and regulations, or make your processes more complex. Does the tool allow you to control accessibility by different types of users? Does it track user history and changes made in workflows? Is there a recovery process to prevent data loss? A tool developed with security in mind gives you control over the essential elements related to compliance, helping to keep your business data private. A Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution can help automate the most repetitive tasks and make work easier and more efficient without compromising data security. Need reports quickly for an audit? An RPA solution can provide that information automatically without anyone needing to look into private data.
Below, we discuss some critical features needed to comply with current laws and regulations.
Role-Based Access
When considering data breaches, you probably think about an outsider trying to break in. However, a vital aspect of securing your data is knowing who within your organization has access to what data. Do you know how many users have access to workflows and processes within your system? If someone from accounting needs to generate reports, do they have access to everything or only to relevant tasks and workflows? If you can't limit user access, you put your data in a vulnerable position.
The right RPA tool makes it easy to maintain control over your software environment. Access to individual tasks or workflows can be based on specific circumstances – a test, production system, or specific application. You can base access rights on job description (developer, HR, finance, etc.) and grant access only to the applications and data that employees in a department need to perform their tasks. It is also possible to grant access based on individual tasks, and set limitations on what an individual user can do - modify, execute, view only, or nothing at all. Role-based access ensures that private data is accessible on a need-to-know basis. Keeping private data private is one of the main components of compliance standards like the GDPR.
Detailed Audit History
Having solid policies and rules to meet auditors' requirements is just the beginning – you need to be able to demonstrate your compliance! Policies need to be documented, and there should be an overview of any exceptions. Without a system that automatically generates that documentation, you'll spend a lot of time and energy gathering everything when auditors suddenly drop in.
An RPA solution is automatic and self-documenting. All actions are tracked by date, time, and user. This includes any exceptions or events (such as a data leak or downtime) that need to be reported for compliance. Moreover, you can generate logs of all your key data points and store them in one central location. Keeping a detailed history of what's happening on your systems helps you understand where something went wrong or why a procedure wasn't followed. This offers insights on how to prevent issues and misuse.
Disaster Recovery
A disaster recovery process can protect you against catastrophes like floods and fires. But it can also help you minimize downtime caused by everyday problems. Downtime can be frustrating when you temporarily lack access to the data you need to complete a task.
An RPA solution can assist you in setting straightforward disaster recovery processes that are automatically triggered, regardless of the type of problems that arise. You can activate data transfer to a standby server when needed and install testing environments on separate hosting systems. Exporting and importing workflows from one system to another is straightforward.
In Conclusion
The right RPA tool is a secure solution that can assist with GDPR compliance and industry standards while safeguarding your data, no matter what.
Implementing a Robotic Process Automation Tool
Interested in deploying a Robotic Process Automation tool for your organization to automate processes and workflows? Please contact us. We are here to help your organization become GDPR compliant and protect your data!