GDPR compliance with Suregrid

What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the European Union's comprehensive data protection law, enacted in May 2018. It applies to any organization that processes personal data of individuals located in the EU or EEA — regardless of where the organization itself is based. This extraterritorial scope means that a SaaS company in San Francisco processing data from a single EU customer is subject to GDPR.

GDPR is built on seven core principles: lawfulness, fairness, and transparency; purpose limitation; data minimization; accuracy; storage limitation; integrity and confidentiality; and accountability. These principles are not aspirational guidelines — they are legally enforceable requirements backed by fines of up to 4% of annual global turnover or EUR 20 million, whichever is higher.

Key GDPR Requirements

Lawful Basis for Processing: Organizations must identify a valid legal basis for every processing activity involving personal data. The six lawful bases are consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task, and legitimate interests. Most B2B SaaS companies rely on contract and legitimate interests, but consent is required for marketing communications and certain data uses.

Data Subject Rights: GDPR grants individuals eight fundamental rights over their personal data: the right of access, rectification, erasure (right to be forgotten), restriction of processing, data portability, objection, rights related to automated decision-making, and the right to withdraw consent. Organizations must respond to these requests within 30 days.

Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs): When processing is likely to result in a high risk to individuals' rights and freedoms, organizations must conduct a DPIA before the processing begins. This applies to large-scale processing of sensitive data, systematic monitoring of public areas, and automated decision-making with legal effects.

Breach Notification: Organizations must notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to individuals' rights and freedoms. If the breach is likely to result in a high risk, affected individuals must also be notified directly.

Data Processing Agreements: When engaging processors (third-party vendors that process personal data on your behalf), GDPR requires a written contract specifying the scope, purpose, and duration of processing, along with the processor's obligations regarding data security and data subject rights.

How Suregrid Helps with GDPR

Suregrid operationalizes GDPR compliance by connecting your data protection program to the systems where personal data actually lives. SureComply provides structured data mapping workflows that help you identify what personal data you collect, where it is stored, how it flows between systems, and what lawful basis applies to each processing activity.

The DPIA workflow module guides you through conducting impact assessments, documenting risks, identifying mitigating controls, and tracking remediation. Templates align with supervisory authority guidance and can be customized to your organization's risk appetite.

Breach notification workflows ensure you meet the 72-hour reporting deadline. When an incident is logged, Suregrid tracks the clock, populates notification templates with relevant details, and maintains the audit trail that regulators expect to see.

For organizations already managing SOC 2 or ISO 27001 compliance, Suregrid automatically maps overlapping controls. Many GDPR technical measures — encryption, access controls, monitoring, incident response — are already covered by your existing compliance program. SureComply ensures you get credit for that work instead of duplicating it.