Member Article

North East IT Solutions company partners with Microsoft

A national IT solutions provider is working with Microsoft to deliver an innovative programme of practical workshops, designed to help businesses implement changes needed ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force in 2018.

GDPR is an EU-wide, legal requirement which stipulates organisations need to take greater responsibility for the storage and distribution of data. Any business which does not comply with the new regulations will face fines of up to 4 percent of annual turnover.

Perfect Image, based in North Tyneside, will deliver a workshop to review the implications of the new regulation and advise on practical ways businesses can assess their current practices and create new procedures to remain compliant at a free event in Newcastle later this month.

The workshop is part of an ongoing programme of events taking place this year in partnership with Microsoft. This event in the series will take place on 18th May at Perfect Image’s headquarters at Cobalt Business Park and will provide information on all areas of security and governance in cloud computing and show how to put this knowledge into action.

During the morning session, Perfect Image will advise on 10 practical steps businesses can undertake to ensure IT systems are safe and secure, and offer guidance on how Microsoft cloud solutions can support GDPR, giving tips on a proactive - rather than reactive - approach to planning for change.

The IT solutions provider is also running an afternoon workshop session which will demonstrate how Microsoft cloud security solutions support compliance and improved cyber security, with a particular focus on how a business can best configure Microsoft Azure and Office 365.

Andrew Robson, CEO of Perfect Image, said: “While the changes laid out by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) do not come into force until 2018, we feel that it is essential to put plans in place as soon as possible to allow time for organisations to ensure they are fully compliant and understand how to implement changes in their business.

“While many of the main concepts and principles within the current Data Protect Act will remain valid under GDPR, there are some significant changes as well as several new elements, which businesses must prepare for. We know many businesses are recruiting for specialist GDPR members of staff - so it’s clearly a very key issue for businesses across the region and the UK as whole.

“Our free workshops will enable people to gain a full understanding of the new regulation - we want to give businesses the practical tools they need now to prepare for it. “

With over 25 years of industry experience, Perfect Image works in partnership with its clients - big and small - to design and deliver bespoke IT solutions, services and strategies to fulfil a wide range of customer needs from updating and supporting existing systems to the delivery of new projects.

As official Microsoft partners, Perfect Image has been able to consistently demonstrate a high level of expertise in delivering quality IT solutions.

Perfect Image has received accreditations from Microsoft in seven areas including Application Development, Cloud Customer Relationship Management, Collaboration and Content and Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Perfect Image .