With the increasing use of cloud services over the past few years, it is not only the integration and adoption of cloud technology that raises challenges for the organisations, but also the question how they can achieve GDPR compliance when using cloud.

Let’s look at the main challenges:

One of the key challenges of cloud computing is related to the management of confidential information. To ensure data security, companies need to know where their data is stored, how it can be transferred and how they can access their own data. Determining the applicable law is also a key element regarding GDPR. Within the EU, physical location is the decisive factor when determining which data protection rules to apply. This challenge is made greater by the volatility of data in the cloud. Data may be regularly moved from one location to another or stored in multiple locations at the same time. Therefore, it requires great care and attention to determine the applicable law.

Other additional cloud specific GDPR challenges, such as efficient data storage in the cloud also exist. According to the GDPR, personal data should not be stored for longer than necessary for a predefined purpose. Therefore, data retention periods should be defined, and it should be possible to effectively delete data at the end of the retention periods.

The next challenge is data portability for the controller. The controller should have the capability to retrieve the data from the system in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and make it available to the user the data belongs to or to another controller. It is also essential that the company concludes agreements with the relevant cloud service providers to this effect. Privacy is also a key element. Businesses, as data controllers, generally have no control over the cloud service provider’s environment, so, it is always necessary to assess the extent to which the service provider can meet the IT security requirements of the company. This can be done by assessing what IT security, data protection measures or certifications the service provider has in place or through the company’s third-party risk management process. In addition, risk management is also essential. The company’s risk management policy should also include risk management in relation to cloud service providers. Agreements with cloud service providers should also include the right to audit cloud service providers. Besides, it is also recommended to be informed about the types of metadata collected by the cloud service provider and how the metadata is handled.

Companies have witnessed a dramatic shift towards teleworking solutions in recent years. This has resulted in a greater spending on digital tools to give employees more flexibility in their work. Collaboration software are one of the most popular and useful tools for people working from home. Besides, a collaboration software is also useful for office workers. In addition to real-time editing, they offer automation and analytics tools that are great for tracking the progress and performance of individual members. Moreover, the whole team can check the deadlines and milestones, so they can work together to achieve their goals.

The growing popularity of collaboration software has been also supported by a study of Statista. The study found that 79% of workers used a collaboration software for work in 2021, which is 44 % more than in 2019.

Today, companies can choose from a wide range of collaboration software developed specifically for business use. On the other hand, the great number of options can be overwhelming, so we present some tips to help you choose the right one for your company.

First, you should get acquainted with the workflows, and identify common bottlenecks and problems that your teams encounter in their projects. Other key factors such as the size of the company, the number of members per team, and the industry should be also considered.

Once you identified you team’s needs and key characteristics, it should be determined what features and tools to look for in your collaboration software. There are some essential features to search for when choosing your own collaboration software such as the central dashboard allowing the whole team to track the progress of the projects or shared data analysis and reporting, or real-time messaging.

Thirdly, consider the possibility of personalisation. Through personalisation, you can provide to your team members different options on how they want to carry out the tasks assigned to them. This includes questioning whether they do the tasks individually or in a group, but personalisation can also refer to accessibility options for different devices such as smartphones or tablets to access the software.

Another factor to consider is the integration of the software. It should be compatible with other software and business systems used by your business. Only then the different software can be integrated with each other and it can result in better data synchronisation and smoother workflows. And last but not least, you should also consider your budget. Even if your budget can limit your options, price can never really determine the effectiveness of a software. A high price gives no guarantee that a software will meet the company’s needs. Instead, it should be considered how effectively the software can help your business.

All in all, collaboration software help companies to create a flexible working environment (welcomed by employees) and facilitate workflows by providing a common platform for employees where they can work together, wherever they are. It may therefore worth investing in a software that is best suited to you and your business, following the considerations above.