The protection of personal data, in the front sight of the SMEs
A report of the INTECO reveals that the 83 percent of the small organizations knows the necessity to obey the law
In spite of its especially positive look, the advance of the society of the information causes new dangers for the companies, especially the tie ones to the privacy. Although in Spain the personal data processing is subject to a strict regulation, still the companies are many that do not respect it and that, consequently, are exposed to the corresponding sanctions.
Nevertheless, it seems that tendency is immersed in a evolution process, at least in the case of the small ones and medians companies. In this way, the 82 percent of the SMEs assures to be brought back to consciousness with the necessity to obey the statutory law of Protection of Data of Carácter Personal (LOPD). Thus it on the matter indicates the last report of the National Institute of Technologies of Comunicación (INTECO).
The importance of this result increases of significant way if it considers that the 99 percent of the Spanish enterprise weave is made up of SMEs and that the 96 percent of them works with personal character data.
According to the study, the information that habitually handles is tie to clients (72 percent), suppliers (51 percent) and lists of employees (30 percent). In most of the cases they are contained of basic level, like names (76 percent), directions (71 percent), telephone numbers (70 percent) or directions of electronic mail (41 percent).
In the opposite end is the documentation of mean level and high. This one has to do with financial aspects, administrative infractions, questions of ideology, health or sexual life and its treatment is, generally, less extended.
On the other hand, the 78 percent of the SMEs operates with automated files, although, like negative note, to the 16 it has solely notified them percent before the Publication and document record department of Protection of Data. While, a 18 percent exclusively maintains the work with files in paper format.
The favorable position of the small organizations before the LOPD is endorsed with the firm commitment of a 79 percent of them to destine means, economic as as much human, to fulfill the sooner the new norm.
Those that still is obstinate to adapt they use like main arguments the complexity of the process, the limitation of resources available or the shortage of added value for the business. Nevertheless, they do not know the multiple benefits that this law can report to them. Among them, the increase of the quality of the operations, the improvement of the corporative image or the creation of surroundings of security susceptible to repel in all the enterprise framework. It seems that the balance inclines towards the positive side.