SAP updates software solutions ahead of GDPR

Enterprise application software business, SAP, has updated its solutions to make it easier for HR leaders worldwide to comply with data protection and privacy laws.

With the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force in May, the company has announced new and updated features to the SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite.

SAP SuccessFactors solutions support customers in handling and protecting sensitive employee, candidate and customer data. Updates include a variety of features designed to protect personal data including consent management, data blocking, data subject info reporting and data purge.

Certain data privacy laws, including the GDPR, require companies to obtain explicit consent from individuals to store or process personal data. The consent management feature can be used throughout the consent process to configure and manage consent statements and acceptance.

Its data blocking feature can be used to restrict access to historical, personal data within the retention period, and allows one user role to retain access to the data, while blocking access for others.

With companies storing all kinds of personal data on their employees as well as external candidates, from information such as name and address to health data and the results of performance reviews. The new data subject info reporting feature will enables customers to generate a report containing all of an individual’s personal data available across SAP SuccessFactors solutions.

The final feature, data purge, enables users to permanently delete data once there is no longer a legal reason for keeping it, which is a requirement of some data protection and privacy laws, including the GDPR. To help comply with specific countries’ and industries’ data retention rules, this feature allows customers to define location-specific data retention regulations and to permanently delete data thereafter.

“We’re committed to helping customers adhere to data protection and privacy regulations, and protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their data in our highly regulated world,” SAP SuccessFactors president Greg Tomb said. “We’ve addressed previous regulations by standing up data center operations in countries like Russia and Brazil. With GDPR now on the horizon, we’re supporting customers in their compliance journey by providing tools that not only help them comply with these laws, and thereby avoid losses and exposure to fines, but also improve governance. Most important, we are helping organisations create value by earning and sustaining trust with employees and candidates.”