On May 25, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will come into force in the UK, but Wales’ small business community is still worryingly unprepared for new data protection regulations, according to new research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The research, published this week, shows that over a third (33 per cent) of Welsh small businesses have not started preparing for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) while a further third (35 per cent) are only in the early stages of preparations. Only eight per cent of small businesses have completed their preparations.

For those small firms starting to prepare for the changes, just over half (52 per cent) of firms in Wales say they will approach the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for advice.

There are now less than 100 days until GDPR comes into force, which means that every small business should be assessing the ways in which GDPR will impact upon their business, and getting ready to comply with the new rules. With the deadline fast approaching, it is also important that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is ready to support smaller firms to comply with GDPR. With over half of smaller firms looking to the ICO for advice, information must be easily accessible; either by phone or online.

Businesses in Powys have access to a wide range of resources to support them through GDPR such as webinars, workshops and online resources which can be found on the FSB’s GDPR portal: www.fsb.org.uk/gdpr and include a 20 point checklist for businesses ahead of GDPR coming into force in May.

Ben Cottam, FSB Wales head of external affairs