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Understanding the RGPD: obligations & challenges

Since 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation has governed the processing of personal data in the European Union. Beyond the legal obligation, it is a real driver of trust with your customers, employees and partners.

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What is the RGPD for?

Regulation (EU) 2016/679, which entered into application on 25 May 2018, aims to protect the privacy and personal data of European citizens. It imposes precise rules on the collection, processing, storage and deletion of data, and holds both controllers and their processors accountable.

In the event of non-compliance, penalties can reach 4% of worldwide annual turnover, capped at 20 million euros. But reducing the RGPD to a constraint would be a mistake: responsible data management strengthens transparency and trust. It is the foundation of a RGPD compliance sustainable approach.

Key principles to follow

Purpose & minimization

Collect only the data necessary for a specified, explicit and legitimate purpose, nothing more.

A legal basis

Each processing activity must rely on a clear legal basis: consent, contrat, obligation légale, intérêt légitime…

Individuals' rights

Access, rectification, erasure, objection, portability: data subjects have rights that the organization must guarantee.

Accountability & evidence

The principle of accountability requires organizations to document their compliance: records of processing activities, policies, security measures.

Who is affected?

Any organization that processes personal data relating to people located in the EU is affected, regardless of its size (TPE, PME, ETI, association, local authority). If you manage customer files, HR data or a website that collects information, the RGPD applies to you. To know exactly where you stand, we explain it in RGPD: is my company affected ?

Three operational pillars of the RGPD

Beyond principles, compliance is built on concrete practices. 1. Theimpact assessment (AIPD/DPIA) for high-risk processing. 2. Protection by design (privacy by design), to embed privacy from the outset. 3. Reducing the identifiability of data through pseudonymization. When properly orchestrated, these three levers turn an obligation into a controlled approach.

Start your compliance journey, step by step

1

Map processing activities

List the data processed, their purposes, recipients and retention periods in a register.

2

Check legal bases

Ensure that each processing activity relies on a valid legal basis and that consent, le cas échéant, est correctement recueilli.

3

Assess risks

Conduct an impact assessment on processing activities likely to create a high risk.

4

Secure data

Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures, in alignment with an SMSI.

5

Manage processors

Formalize responsibilities through compliant contracts and prepare the response in the event of a data breach.

6

Raise awareness & keep it alive

Compliance must be nurtured: raise awareness among teams and regularly review processing activities.

Why work with BCIT?

A pragmatic approach

We prioritize high-impact actions for genuine compliance, without unnecessary paperwork.

A DPO by your side

Fromaudit to steering, our outsourced DPO supports you over the long term.

Linked compliance & security

We connect RGPD and information security for consistent end-to-end protection.

Turn the RGPD into a trust asset 🚀

Let's take 15 minutes to review your compliance RGPD and define a roadmap tailored to your organization.