The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be enforced from 25th May 2018 and seeks to better protect EU citizens from privacy and data breaches.GDPR has been described as the most important change in data privacy regulation in 20 years and replaces the 1998 Data Protection Act. The GDPR was regarded as necessary because the world has become significantly more data-driven in the 20 years since the Data Protection Act was introduced.GDPR needs to be taken very seriously as organisations that don’t comply may be fined up to 4 per cent of their global turnover or €20m for more serious transgressions.There is time to prepare your business but our strong recommendation is to start planning now for 25th May 2018.Your business may also be impacted by The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) that is going to be updated to align with the GDPR. PECR sets out extra rules for electronic communications.DBS is not in a position to give you legal advice but from a practical standpoint, now is the time to begin your research into how GDPR will affect your organisation.Your own legal adviser may be able to help you but there are also GDPR compliance specialists such as Griffin House Consultancy who offer training and advice.