Many people ask us how long it takes to comply with data protection laws? How long does it take to work through the Michalsons data protection programme? It is a good question because it is relevant for planning and budgeting purposes. It will help you answer the question – How much does data protection compliance cost? For example, our programmes have a monthly subscription, which means you can budget for it if you know how long you need to be in a programme. If you want to retain us to do it for you, you also need to know how long it will take.
Between 2 and 12 months but it depends on your organisation
For most organisations, it is between 2 and 12 months to comply and make it business as usual. But it depends on a number of factors.
It depends on a number of factors
- The size of your organisation. Large organisations typically take 12 months, a medium between 6 and 12 months and a small less than 6 months.
- The impact on your specific organisation. The bigger the impact the longer it takes.
- The size of the gap between the law and what your specific organisation currently does. The bigger the impact the longer it takes.
- The current readiness of your specific organisation.
- The compliance strategy your specific organisation has adopted.
- How fast you work at it or focus on it. You could dedicate time to the task and power through it.
If you want to get a more accurate timeline for your specific organisation, do a complimentary impact assessment with us. Our top tips for data protection projects might also help you.
Grace periods in the law give guidance
The POPIA grace period is 12 months from the commencement date and the GDPR grace period was 24 months, which gives you a good indication of how long Parliaments think it takes.
