As reported by Cisco in its Data Privacy Benchmark Study, companies that follow the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) experience benefits such as lower frequency and effect of data breaches, as well as fewer records being impacted in the attacks, shorter downtimes and lower overall costs. GDPR is a user and data privacy regulation which came into effect in the European Union on May 25, addressing data protection of EU residents and the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA areas. The report used the data collected via a double-blind survey which was answered by over 3200 security professionals from 18 countries from all over the world and from all major industries. "Organizations have a long way to go to maximize the value of their private investments. Our research shows that the market is set and ready for those willing to invest in data assets and privacy may be the path forward to get there," according to Michelle Dennedy, Cisco's Chief Privacy Officer. When it comes to the level of GDPR readiness among the respondents, 59% of them said that they are meeting either all or most of GDPR’s provisions, while 29% of them stated that GDPR-readiness is one year away and another 9% indicated that they would need more than a year to be ready. Learn more by visiting OUR FORUM.