At Postgrad Solutions we’ve always been committed to maintaining client confidentiality and defending our databases and websites against cyber breaches. Here are the details of our GDPR policy following the new rules that came into force in 2018.
The new GDPR rules and regulations came into force on the 25th May 2018. The main reasons for the new GDPR changes is to help protect people from data and privacy breaches, and to ensure that SMEs are as well defended against cybercrime as larger corporations.
In advance of this date, we undertook a full review of the new GDPR policies – under the guidance of our Data Protection Manager Katherine Mann – and applied changes to the way our business is operated where necessary. All of our members of staff have also been fully briefed on the new GDPR Data Protection rules, and are now aware of the necessary requirements. We have also checked to the best of our ability that any third party partners that we work with comply too.
To ensure that we comply with the new GDPR rules our Data Protection Manager has had a detailed conversation with the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) Date Protection Hotline for Small Businesses to find out what these new rules mean for the running of our business and the information stored in our databases, together with running through all of the online advice.
Please click here for details of our Job Applicant Privacy Policy.
At Postgrad Solutions we maintain two key databases – our client database and our student database.
1. Client Database
We use our client database to contact our clients with information that is relevant to them. In accordance with the stipulations set out for SMEs and data protection we are able to contact our clients directly and collate relevant information about them in order to run our business effectively using our client database. Following discussions with the experts at the GDPR Hotline we are pleased to state that we comply fully with the new rules and regulations, and have always stored our client information in an efficient and safe way.
2. Student Database
There have always been more restrictions for us to adhere to with our student database, as the students have to formally sign up in order to receive promotions and information from Postgrad Solutions. Under the new GDPR regulations it is essential to offer members of our student database the opportunity to unsubscribe from our database whenever they want to, and to always provide an unsubscribe link on any new material we send out to them. This is a procedure that we have always followed, in fact the GDPR Hotline expert stated that our student sign up, opt out policies and overall data protection has always been exceptionally solid.
Some highlights to our GDPR data protection rollout include:
A full review and update of our Privacy Policy to ensure it continues to be clear and precise with regards to how the data is going to be used and stored so all individual sign ups are fully informed when deciding to sign up.
Clearly stating clearly that people aged under the age of 16 cannot sign up.
Ensuring that the Privacy Policy link remains clearly positioned at any point on our sites that a student may be providing data.
Including an additional opt-in box with a tick on the sign up page.
Incorporating an extra ‘permission/consent link’ on all sign up points with an opt-in box to tick.
Emailing all students on our database with information regarding updates to the Privacy Policy, informing them that they can unsubscribe if they wish to.
Now the new GDPR regulations are in place we are proud to say that to the best of our ability we are adhering to all the rules.
If you require any further more detailed information please contact our Data Protection Manager datamanager@postgradsolutions.com