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Since the EU enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, states across the Atlantic – beginning with California – took notice and started crafting their own privacy regulations. In 2023 alone, three states – Colorado, Connecticut and Virginia – began enforcing new privacy laws, and Utah will join those states at the end of the year.

And the pace is picking up. Seven additional states have privacy laws on the books slated to take effect between 2024 and 2026, with active bills under review in four other states.

While the regulations may differ in their details, one consumer right is becoming more common: the Data Subject Request (DSR). A DSR generally grants consumers the right to access, modify or erase their personal information held by organizations.

From a consumer perspective, a DSR is a fairly simple ask. They should be able to fill out a form, and – in a specified timeframe required by law – receive a report with their information. But for organizations required to comply, the process is far more complex. Data in an organization typically resides in various systems and databases, including third-party databases of companies with which an organization has relationships. To provide consumers with a report that includes their data requires identifying, collecting, reviewing and formatting information from these disparate locations within a compressed time period.

The solution to this complex issue, however, is fairly straightforward: a single data privacy management platform.

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A Single Solution with Multiple Benefits

To reduce complexity and the risk of noncompliance, modern organizations are turning to providers that offer a single data privacy management platform with distinct functions. This type of solution offers a number of valuable benefits to organizations, regardless of their size and scope.
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Efficiency

A single platform typically enables an organization to choose the modules that meet its needs, while adding other modules as needs change and regulations evolve. The Relyance AI platform, for example, provides total configurability that enables an organization to customize the look and feel of the DSR portal to match its brand using the integrated portal builder. With Relyance AI’s always-live Data Map & Inventory, privacy professionals have complete and continuous visibility into where data lives, eliminating significant manual effort. With this knowledge and understanding of data flows and lineage, privacy managers can execute DSRs seamlessly and automatically.

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Scalability

As organizations grow and collect more data – and as more states and jurisdictions enact privacy regulations – the need for efficient DSR management grows as well. A single data privacy management platform can scale with an organization’s needs, accommodating an increase in the volume of consumer requests without compromising efficiency or security.

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Security

Any organization collecting and using data must have robust security in place to protect sensitive information. With a single data privacy management platform, an organization does not have to worry about different security protocols applied to multiple solutions. In addition, when processing DSRs, organizations may want to introduce specific pauses for internal reviews to safeguard the execution of a request, a feature provided by the Relyance AI platform.

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Cost Savings

While investing in a single data privacy management platform may involve a new expenditure for an organization, the long-term benefits often translate into considerable cost savings. By reducing the complexity of compliance and minimizing the risk of penalties incurred from non-compliance, organizations can achieve a strong return on investment. Relyance AI even offers an ROI calculator to assist privacy professionals in making a case to their leadership for an automated, integrated platform.

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Streamlining the Fulfillment Process

A single data privacy management platform will streamline the DSR fulfillment process for organizations, speeding up response times and minimizing the risk of human errors inherent with manual systems. A single platform is not just a convenience, but a strategic approach that demonstrates compliance to regulatory authorities and builds trust with customers.

The Relyance AI solution completes DSRs with hyper-intelligent workflows, generating comprehensive reports to DSR requests and providing full visibility throughout the process for privacy managers.

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To learn more about the Relyance Al privacy platform, book a demo here.

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