Email marketing specialists, Jarrang, and leading law firm Stephens Scown LLP, have teamed up to help businesses across the UK better understand the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which come into force on May 25 this year.

Both Jarrang and Stephens Scown are providing expertise, knowledge and insight to the business community to help them prepare for the upcoming changes which have been designed to make companies more accountable for the data they hold.

A free downloadable guide, which includes practical tips and advice backed up by sound legal practice is available to download through https://jarrang.com/GDPR/. It is a move Jarrang Founder and CEO, Stafford Sumner, hopes will help cut through some of the misinformation about GDPR that is leaving some businesses confused about what to do and how the changes will affect them.

“From conversations I’ve had over the last few months I know people are, at best, confused, and at worst, worried about what GDPR means for them and their business,” he said. “By partnering with Stephens Scown to produce this guide we are able to provide our customers and the wider business community with easy-to-implement advice backed with the legal reassurance Stephens Scown provide.”

Ben Travers, partner and head of IPIT at Stephens Scown added: “We’re delighted to be working with Jarrang to help people better understand how GDPR will impact their email marketing and how they manage their data.

“We’ve worked with businesses large and small – including international household names – to get ready for GDPR. One aim of the legislation is to give people more control over their personal information as well as simplifying and modernising the protection of data. It should be welcomed, not feared, and we want businesses to make sure they’re compliant by offering sound, practical advice.”

The email marketing guide covers everything from how businesses can audit their current data to how they can manage their customer database in the most appropriate way.

Sumner concludes: “For businesses following best practice at the moment, there will be changes, but not as many as there might be if they’re sailing close to, or beyond, the wind.

“It’s important to remember, every organisation is different – there’s no single, simple way of becoming compliant. We recommend every business audits their data. This means finding out where it’s stored, where it came from and how it’s used. From here, it’s much easier for them to see what data they can carry on using and what data they will have to delete.”

The new regulations will supersede the Data Protection Act (DPA) of 1998, which was created long before the internet revolutionised communication and has become rapidly outdated. More information is available from both Jarrang and Stephens Scown at www.jarrang.com and enquiries@stephens-scown.co.uk respectively.