A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Software GDPR-Compliant

With technology at the forefront, businesses and their possessed assets have been at risk of cyber theft and data breaches. That’s why governing bodies across the globe have established various safety compliances, one of which is the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation Act).

This act is designed to secure business assets from regular data theft. It also safeguards the personal information of EU citizens. Failing to follow GDPR software compliance can lead to a penalty of 4% of the company’s global turnover or 20 million Euros.

Businesses that handle user’s data should know the ins and outs of GDPR compliance to protect themselves from potential penalties. Any app or software that your company uses must be GDPR-compliant as it helps to win customer loyalty and protects reputation.

This article highlights the best practices for developing GDPR-compliant software, key requirements, costs, and more.

Keep reading!

Why Businesses Should Comply With GDPR?

GDPR is a popular privacy and protection regulation law, implemented in 2018 by the European Union. The law is ideally made for the data protection of EU citizens but in reality, it affects businesses worldwide.

Regardless of your business domain, software type, and location, if your business collects and uses EU citizen’s data, you need to follow GDPR law. This is why when developing software for your business, you must ensure that it aligns with GDPR compliance software development.

Is your business liable to GDPR?

Here’s your checklist to understand if your app or software is subjected to GDPR privacy regulations:

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, it means your app or software is subjected to GDPR privacy regulations. GDPR considers each piece of data, be it a name, email, contact number, address, or eye color as personal data that needs to be protected.

Checklist to Develop GDPR-Compliant Software

Here’s your checklist for fulfilling GDPR software requirements:

1. GDPR Technical Requirements

Start the process by conducting thorough research on GDPR software requirements, including data subject rights, data minimization, accountability, propose limitations, and user consent. Furthermore, ensure that your in-house team and software development company know about these technical requirements.

2. Data Mapping and Classification

Before you implement GDPR in software solutions, you need to develop a detailed data inventory that includes data flow diagrams, retention policies, and data sources. This way, you can understand how the data moves within external systems and your software.

3. Data Minimization

When conducting data mapping, you must only collect relevant data that are strictly necessary for the required purpose. Refrain from collecting excessive amounts of data for a long period.

4. Data Subject Rights

You can facilitate data subject rights through the right to access, erase, edit, data portability, and restrict processing. While using your software or app, your users should be able to exercise these rights without complications.

5. Third-party Services Management

Make sure the third-party services that your software or app uses also comply with GDPR. If needed, you can establish an agreement with the third-party vendor and perform due diligence on their safety practices.

6. Privacy by Default and Design

Did you know GDPR compliance requires software and apps to focus on privacy during design and development from an early stage? It is to ensure that the software follows privacy by design and offers users privacy settings to maintain the highest security.

7. User Consent Mechanism

Get your software or app developed in a way that allows users to be aware that their personal data is being collected. User consent is essential before installing and using the app. Also, users should be asked to give their consent regarding the collection of their personal data. Likewise, users should have the authority to withdraw their consent easily.

8. Data Breach Notification

One of the essential requirements of GDPR is the immediate data breach notification. As per GDPR Article 33, both individuals and data protection authorities need to report any data breach activity within 72 hours of the incident.

This is why you must prepare a data breach response in advance, highlighting the steps to be taken during a data breach event. The plan must include incident etection, recuperation, containment, and communication.

9. Cookie Collection Policy

GDPR law also requires companies to focus on the cookie collection policy. That’s because it empowers users to make informed decisions regarding the data they share. By having a clear cookie collection policy, companies can inform users about the type of cookies used, how these cookies can be managed, and the purpose of the cookies.

10. Right to Be Forgotten

GDPR-compliant software or apps must offer users the right to be forgotten. It means users should be able to request the removal of their personal data, which they no longer need. With this feature, users can rest assured that their data is permanently and securely deleted from your system and third parties.

11. Data Removal from Payment Channels

If your app or software uses payment gateways, you must allow users to remove their data from the payment channels. Users’ personal data should not be kept for more than the required time. It’s always advised to follow timely data removal practices after users complete transactions. This way you can reduce the risk of unnecessary data leaks and security threats.

How to Build GDPR-Compliant Software

You can follow these essential steps to successfully develop GDPR-compliant software for your business. You can also hire a bespoke software development company to get the job done right.

Each of these steps is crucial for data protection and regulatory adherence:

1. Requirement Analysis

Start the process by analyzing and gathering your requirements for software development. Make sure your requirements align with the GDPR principles. This step also requires you to identify personal data types and lawful bases for processing.

2. Architecture Planning

After requirement analysis, you should focus on planning a secure software architecture and adding the right features for data protection. At this stage, you can also incorporate common security practices like access control, data minimization, and encryption.

3. UI/UX Design

The third step is UI/UX design, which requires experts to create intuitive designs that align with GDPR requirements. It is to ensure transparency and clarity regarding user consent and data processing.

4. Software Development

This step is about bringing your software architecture to life. Developers need to follow ideal software coding practices for GDPR adherence and prevention of security vulnerabilities.

5. Testing and Quality Assurance

You can conduct software penetration testing to analyze, identify, and address any security threat or vulnerability. You should also test for potential data leaks and compliance with GDPR requirements.

6. Software Deployment

After thorough testing and development, your software is ready for the market. During deployment, make sure the software adheres to GDPR compliance, including access controls, user permissions, and data storage.

Cost to Develop GDPR-Compliant Software

The cost of developing GDPR-compliant software can vary greatly depending on several factors. It includes the complexity of the software, the location of software developers, personal data sensitivity, existing state compliance, and UI/UX design intricacies.

Remember that developing GDPR-compliance software always includes an upfront cost for implementing user-friendliness, privacy, and security measures. Besides this, you should be ready to pay for the ongoing updates, regular audits, and software maintenance.

On average, developing GDPR-compliant software can range between $30,000 to $3000,000 and even more. Regardless of the amount, you should consider building GDPR-compliant software to protect yourself from future penalties.

How Protonshub Technologies Helps Businesses Become GDPR-Compliant

As you have reached the end of this blog, we assume you know how to become GDPR compliant. You can bookmark this post and refer to it whenever you want to rise above the competition and establish yourself as a leader in the changing markets.

Protonshub Technologies is a trusted company with expertise in software development. We offer offshore software development services to help companies adhere to GDPR compliance. Our team of 220+ developers uses cutting-edge technologies to prevent cyber attacks, detect possible threats, and achieve compliance.

Hire our team and get ready to embark on a GDPR compliance journey with a focus on scaling your business without facing legal penalties.

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Tushar Pal

"President and Co-Founder"

Tushar Pal is a captivating wordsmith who weaves intricate narratives and thought-provoking tales. With a passion for exploring the depths of human emotion and the complexities of the human experience, he effortlessly guides readers through richly textured worlds that linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.