GDPR Compliance: The Complete Guide
EU General Data Protection Regulation, legal framework for processing personal data of individuals in the European Economic Area.
What is GDPR?
EU General Data Protection Regulation, legal framework for processing personal data of individuals in the European Economic Area.
Who needs GDPR?
Any organization offering goods or services to EEA residents or monitoring their behavior, including US-headquartered SaaS, fintech, and health-tech companies with EU customers, employees, or data subjects.
Cost & timeline
GDPR compliance is ongoing operational governance, not a one-time certification. Budget for legal counsel, DPA templates, DSAR operations, and Article 32 security controls. Supervisory authority fines can reach 4% of global annual turnover for serious violations.
Control categories
| Category | Controls | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Lawful basis & transparency | ~12 | N/A |
| Data subject rights | ~8 | N/A |
| Security of processing (Art. 32) | ~15 | Example control → |
| Vendor management (Art. 28) | ~6 | N/A |
The honest answers
If you have EU customers or users, yes, even without an EU office.
Partially. Many security controls overlap, but GDPR has unique requirements (DSARs, lawful basis, DPAs) that need explicit coverage.
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