Practical GDPR Compliance for SMEs in a Changing UK Landscape

As the UK data protection environment continues to evolve, small and medium-sized enterprises face increasing pressure to stay compliant while managing limited resources. This practical, business-focused webinar will help SMEs understand how to navigate GDPR obligations efficiently and confidently.

We’ll explore how data subject access requests (DSARs) can be transformed from an administrative burden into an opportunity to strengthen transparency, trust, and operational data management. Beyond DSARs, we will unpack the full spectrum of data subject rights, highlighting what SMEs often overlook and how to address these gaps proactively.

Attendees will gain actionable insights and hands-on guidance on building or refining a resilient compliance framework that works in real-world SME settings. Whether you’re new to GDPR responsibilities or seeking to improve your organisation’s existing processes, this session provides clear, practical value.

In this webinar, we will discuss:‍

• DSARs – A Business Burden or a Data Protection Opportunity?
  
  • What SMEs typically struggle with when responding to DSARs
  • Turning DSAR handling into a driver of trust and transparency
  • The hidden costs: measuring effort, impact, and value
  • When a DSAR may be ‘manifestly unfounded’ or ‘excessive’
  • Defending decisions to regulators
  • Using DSAR data to inform privacy strategy, customer engagement, and data governance
• Beyond Access: The Full Spectrum of Data Subject Rights
  
  • Rights that often catch SMEs off guard: erasure, rectification, restriction, portability, and objection
  • Operational risks SMEs commonly face
  • How to avoid drowning in process complexity
  • Managing high-volume or high-impact rights requests
  • Real-world examples of balancing customer empowerment with operational efficiency
• Common Pitfalls and How SMEs Can Avoid Them
  
  • Misunderstandings that lead to regulatory scrutiny
  • Over-engineering vs. under-investing in compliance
  • Inadequate documentation and inconsistent decision-making
  • Practical steps SMEs can implement immediately
• Practical Guidance and Tools for SMEs
  
  • Simple frameworks for rights handling
  • DSAR response templates and triage models
  • How to build scalable, low-burden processes
  • Leveraging DSAR and rights data to improve governance maturity
  • What the Data Use and Access Act (DUAA) updates mean for SMEs and why they matter.

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