Gartner Survey Identifies Top Privacy Priorities in 2019

The volatile regulatory environment is the top challenge for privacy executives according to a new press release by Gartner. Gartner compiled the list from its annual survey of data privacy executives and conversations with Gartner clients.

The volatile regulatory environment likely refers to the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which went into effect last May, the adoption of the Brazilian General Data Protection Law, the uncertainty around implementation of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the potential for other federal and state privacy laws.

The full list of the Top Privacy Priorities identified for 2019 includes:

1. Adapting to a Volatile Regulatory Environment
2. Establishing a Privacy Strategy to Support Digital Transformation
3. Implementing an Effective Third-Party Risk Management Program
4. Strengthening Customer Trust and Brand Loyalty
5. Identifying Metrics to Measure Privacy Program Effectiveness.

The third and fourth items on the list, third-party vendor management and customer trust, have been something that Clarip has been discussing for some time here on the Clarip Privacy Blog.

Third-Party Risks

Third-party data sharing can be a problematic area for privacy programs. It has been an area of much discussion amidst the business and privacy community since the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal was reported last March. It is the core concern of GDPR Article 28 as well as the right to opt out of the sale of personal information in the CCPA. This is one of the areas that can be challenging for businesses in their compliance efforts but is absolutely crucial in order to strengthen an organization’s privacy program overall.

Customer Trust

Clarip helps organizations build on their customer trust through a combination of enhanced transparency about privacy practices plus the offering of greater control to customers through consent and preference management. A survey published in the Harvard Business Review last year (and covered on the Clarip Privacy Blog back then) discussed the importance of strong privacy practices for businesses and found these two elements of critical importance to mitigating the consequences of a data breach on public opinion.

Other Areas of Note from Gartner

The Gartner survey found that only 4 in 10 privacy executives are confident in their ability to keep pace with new privacy regulations. According to Gartner, organizations are still working through their GDPR compliance efforts and are now tasked with adding on to them with the requirements of the CCPA. 7 in 10 privacy executives lack confidence in their existing plan to strengthen their information governance.

Privacy regulations have become a “significant budget line item” and companies will need additional resources to comply with new privacy laws. The potential consequences of failure in this area is also growing. According to Gartner, both regulators and customers have “made it clear” there are no more grace periods for problems with privacy practices.

If your organization is looking to enhance its privacy automation, contact Clarip to schedule a demo of our enterprise privacy management software.

Other Relevant Posts:

Americans Favor DSAR Right to Delete in Recent Poll
Tangible Business Benefits from Data Privacy Investments – Cisco Study

More Resources:

Ready for the new California privacy law coming on January 1, 2020? Learn more about CCPA compliance and contact us to see a demo of the Clarip privacy management platform used by Fortune 500 clients.