Please note that in no way is Help Desk Cavalry providing legal information or counseling in this article. The content below is offered for your information only and any concerns or questions about complying with current laws should be directed to a legal professional.
Privacy policies are common across all sizes of businesses, but the main difference between a small business privacy policy and that of a large corporation is its complexity. That’s because almost every company in the world collects information about their customers—some simple and some sensitive. No matter what kind of data you collect, it’s becoming more and more legally critical to create a policy and a plan for how that data will be stored, used, and protected.
Your small business privacy policy should declare how you will be using that data that you naturally collect about your customers.
A SMALL BUSINESS PRIVACY POLICY SHOULD FOCUS ON
The data you are collecting
Your privacy policy needs to spell out what kind of Personal Identifiable Information (PII) you are collecting. This includes everything from someone’s first name to their privacy preferences to their credit card or bank information. Leave no stone unturned, so speak to all departments about the information they gather and process before finalizing your list.
How the data you collect will be used
The next step is to state how you will be using the data and for what purposes. For example, if you will be using the data to reach out to customers later to market your products and services, you need to state that.
Data sharing
Who will you be sharing the data with? You need to be clear if you intend to share the data with anyone outside your company, such as partners or vendors. This includes any outsourced services you may employ like bookkeeping or marketing communication services.
Data security and storage
Your privacy policy should identify how you will be storing the PII. Does it exist on a local server or on the cloud? Where specifically is that storehouse? You also need to illustrate the security measures you will be taking to keep it safe.
A bit from the customer’s perspective
Beyond demonstrating your company’s plan and intention, a small business privacy policy should help customers understand their available paths based on their rights as a consumer.
Make sure to include how a customer can:
- See what PII of theirs has been procured
- Correct or update their PII
- Take recourse if there’s a breach of the privacy policy
CUT LABOR COSTS BY DOING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
Managed Service Providers like Help Desk Cavalry are responsible for providing you with the right technology to ensure that business basics like a small business privacy policy can be met. If you need any help understanding what your data collection, storage, and security options are, just reach out to us. While we can’t provide strict legal guidance, we can absolutely make sure that you have all the technology required to satisfy your own policies. Contact us today.