A mission to simplify the complexity of compliance
Key Facts
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Data Solver Ltd was formed on 23 August 2016. It provides privacy management software to enable organisations to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Its mission is to simplify the complexity of compliance using a combination of technology and Plain English to drive knowledge, awareness and accountability.
- Funded by The Data Solver team was provided with a pre-seed fund of £15,000 from Cranfield to develop a minimum viable product. Today Data Solver is an established start-up at the Cranfield University Business Incubation Centre with a team of four people. The company demonstrated its software at the Info Security Europe Conference in June 2017 and its privacy management software will be available for open market sales in November 2017.
Impact of our research
The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will be implemented on 25 May 2018. They will apply to all organisations which process or control the personal data of EEA citizens and will have global impact. Despite Brexit the UK government has confirmed that the UK will be implementing the GDPR in full.
The GDPR is designed to return the control of personal data back to the individual. To achieve compliance organisations must put in place robust organisational and technical measures to demonstrate transparency, accountability and "Privacy by Design". The maximum fine for non-compliance with the GDPR is 4% of global turnover or €20m, whichever is the highest.
GDPR compliance, however, doesn't have to be complex, costly or time consuming. Data Solver's Privacy Management Software automates the requirements of the GDPR through case management processing and risk mapping. Enabling knowledge, awareness, ownership, improved data quality and increased consumer trust, resulting in real time operation compliance which is faster and cheaper.
Data Solver understands that every organisation and its privacy needs are unique. It's software enables organisations to comply with the GDPR via its GDPR modules including:
- Privacy Impact Assessment Programme Management
- Right to access processing
- Automated Risk Analysis
- GDPR auditing and reporting
Why the research was commissioned
Prior to her MBA, Claire was the Group Head of Compliance for one of the largest property services groups in the UK (Knight Square), where she experienced first-hand the pain caused to organisations and their customers by breaches of privacy. When she went out to seek a software solution to help her company process personal data, she could only find eight separate systems without a way of tying them all together. The market was selling in silos. This led to the idea of creating software which could offer a single interface to address the data and privacy requirements of an organisation.
Claire’s idea was developed during her MBA at Cranfield and accelerated by the start-up activities at Cranfield’s Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship. Claire met her co-founder Vinay on her MBA.
In her words, “It was an unlikely partnership between a loud, outspoken and extrovert lawyer and a quiet, shy and introvert entrepreneur and engineer, but the Cranfield MBA brought out the best of our talents to develop a strong working relationship between us which eventually led to the idea flourishing into a business proposal.
Claire Banwell Spencer
Claire is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor with 16 years' legal experience both in house and private practice. Claire is a specialist in compliance, corporate governance, change management and process re-engineering with an ability to develop practical business solutions to solve complex legal issues.
Vinay Nagaraju
Vinay is an engineer and entrepreneur with 9 years experience and a passion for technical solutions for business challenges. He has run a successful business in India for 6 years and is a specialist in product design, developing technical frameworks, customer engagement and optimising business operations.
Both Co-founders have an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.
