NelsonHall names TCS as leader in GDPR privacy rules compliance

“With growing concerns around the handling of personal data, we will only see more legislative interventions such as GDPR in the near future, forcing enterprises to prioritize spending on data privacy and security,” said Satish Thiagarajan, global head, Cyber Security Practice at TCS, according to an Economic Times report.

The GDPR is a comprehensive set of directives put in place by the European Union to protect personal data of all its citizens. The new regime that came into effect on 25 May in the EU seeks to reshape the way organisations approach data privacy in the region.

This has opened up ways for IT services companies to help their clients understand new data rights for users such as lawful processing of personal data, privacy impact assessment, redesigning systems and sign-up forms to get explicit consent, requirements for data storage, and other obligations mandated by the regulator to protect user data.

The report lists TCS’ strengths as its extensive knowledge of customers’ IT systems, allowing for faster implementation; the wave-based approach to remediation which prioritises the most vulnerable processes, TCS’ ownership of tools like MasterCraft Dataplus for data governance, cleansing and masking, and Crystal Ball for consent management; and a strong managed security services practice for compliance and security operations, along with investments in machine learning for security with the Ignio platform.

From utilities to financial services, all businesses require user data to offer services to their customers. The GDPR allows customers / users to know more about what kind of data is being collected, for what purpose it is being used, and gives customers the right to delete their data if they are not convinced by the use of their data by companies.

"Some of the proprietary tools and platforms supporting TCS’ GDPR services include GDPR Readiness Assessment Toolkit, Crystal Ball, MasterCraft DataPlus, Data Masker, GRC portal and the Security community portal," the company said in a release.

Mike Smart, senior IT services analyst with NelsonHall, said, “TCS’ GDPR services are backed by its wave-based approach to remediation, targeting the highest risk systems to improve client compliance. TCS’ knowledge of the regulation, of their clients’ current IT systems, and its toolkits allow it to put in place highly detailed remediation plans for GDPR compliance.”