Prioritizing data protection for your business in 2025: ICO provides tips
As you undertake business operations this year, there’s one crucial element that shouldn’t be overlooked—data protection. Getting data protection right from the start will not only ensure compliance with data privacy laws but also help you build trust with customers, suppliers, and partners alike.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of the UK began this year by providing businesses with the tools and guidance needed to handle personal data responsibly and confidently. For organisations new to the world of data protection, the ICO has published a Beginner’s Guide to Data Protection, which outlines eight easy steps to help you lay the foundation for compliance.
Data protection is not only important for compliance purposes, but also paramount to business success.
Data protection is more than just a legal requirement—it’s a key business advantage. Non-compliance with UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) can result in costly fines, which can be especially damaging for start-ups and small businesses. Beyond the importance in the legal world, strong data protection practices also help an organization build trust with customers, showing them that their information is safe. In an era where data breaches and privacy concerns are increasing, businesses which choose to prioritise data security stand out and tend to foster trust with their clientele.
Taking the right steps from the beginning helps protect an organisation’s reputation. The effects of a data breach on an organisation and its customers can be far reaching, and can involve an overall loss of customer confidence, negative publicity, as well as financial harm. Overall, having clear processes in place early on will increase efficiency, saving the organisation time and reducing the risk of compliance issues down the line.
The ICO has provided several free tools to aid businesses in staying compliant and developing strong data protection protocols.
To make data protection as simple and stress-free as possible, the ICO has developed several free tools specifically designed for small businesses and start-ups. These tools help you understand and implement key data protection measures with minimal effort.
One of the ICO’s most useful resources is the Privacy Notice Generator. Every business that collects personal information must explain why they collect it and how they use it. This is done through a privacy notice, which is typically displayed on a website or included in customer communications. This easy-to-use generator creates a tailored privacy notice for your business in just 10 to 15 minutes, ensuring you meet legal requirements while being transparent with customers. The tool can generate two types of privacy notices—one for customers and suppliers and another for staff and volunteers, where applicable. Whereas this may be a very helpful tool for the initial steps of the compliance journey, it should be noted that, as the data processing activities grow and become more complex, having the support of data protection professionals that understand the peculiarities of the industry and the specific business operations is essential.
If your business engages in direct marketing, whether through email, SMS, social media, or outbound calls, you must comply with UK GDPR and PECR regulations. The ICO has therefore also developed a Direct Marketing Advice Generator, which provides tailored compliance advice based on your specific marketing activities. Using this tool ensures that you only contact individuals who have given their consent, helping you avoid fines and penalties while protecting your business’ reputation. It also saves time and resources by making sure your marketing efforts are targeted and legally compliant.
To further support small businesses, The ICO has developed a series of bitesize ‘how-to’ videos which provide straightforward, actionable advice on essential data protection topics. These videos cover key areas such as how to handle customer data securely, understanding consent for marketing, and steps to prevent data breaches. By following these best practices, you can stay compliant without feeling overwhelmed by complex legal requirements.
The ICO has stressed the importance of data protection and provided organisations with the necessary support tools to help organisations, especially startups build and maintain good data protection protocols.
Starting and maintaining a business or organisation comes with many responsibilities. While data protection may not always be top of mind, getting it right from day one will set you apart from competitors and safeguard your long-term success. As Faye Spencer, Head of Business Services at the ICO, explains; “Our tools are designed to be quick and easy and provide organisations with the support they need, so they can concentrate on what they’re good at, serving the needs of their customers and growing their organisation.” While securing data may not be one of the main aspects of running your business, it remains one of the most important aspects, which deserves the required attention.
