Call Accounting Featured Article

Call Accounting Can Help with GDPR Compliance

  By Paula Bernier, Executive Editor, TMC

It’s almost time for graduation, as well as for GDPR. But while many students are wrapping things up with their finals, U.S. companies are still getting schooled on the importance of the upcoming European Union regulation. In a recent article for The Irish Times, Karlin Lillington said most U.S. companies are still not prepared for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, which takes effect May 25.

“The U.S. attitude has always been dismissive towards EU privacy and data protections,” writes Lillington. “I’ve sat through countless sessions at events in the U.S. where EU protections that were supposed to be observed already under the former principles of Safe Harbour data transfer, and later its current replacement Privacy Shield, were discussed with, at best, mild annoyance and too often, belittling contempt.

“This is is why I’ve always doubted that many U.S. organisations took either seriously,” she added. “And I know from talking to individuals who know the position at first hand, that, in practice, many haven’t.”

The goal of GDPR is to standardize data protection regulations across the EU.

“Cited as an even bigger compliance challenge than MiFID II by some politicians, GDPR is arguably the biggest overhaul of data protection rules in two decades,” according to a Thomson Reuters (News - Alert) report. “Thomson Reuters forecasts that the penalties for non-compliance will likely be severe.”

Some suggest that call accounting solutions can help organizations address GDPR compliance. For example, just last month ISI announced that this solution has received certification from the European Union and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“ISI (News - Alert) Telemanagement is now certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework” explained Laura Huska, ISI’s Director of Privacy and Information Security. “In today’s environment, information privacy and security are of paramount importance to our customers. As a custodian of our customers’ data, we take privacy and security very seriously. Privacy Shield, combined with our HIPAA and SSAE 16 Type II certifications provides our customers with assurance that their data will remain private and secure.”