In May 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will be in place, meaning virtually any organisation with data in or passing through the EU will have a host of new compliance requirements. And though warnings and reminders continue to surface, there remains concern that organisations haven’t started the road toward compliance.

On May 25, a date chosen to line up exactly a year before GDPR goes into effect, multinational law firm Hogan Lovells has released its GDPRnow app. Available for download at the iTunes store, the mobile application provides companies with assistance to identify practical steps to comply with the new framework.

Conceived entirely in-house by the firm's Privacy and Cybersecurity team, GDPR now is the first app ever aimed at generating a GDPR compliance action plan specific to an individual business’s activities.

Businesses and organisations seeking to ensure compliance before the deadline for GDPR implementation in twelve months' time will be able to download a bespoke report with practical actions and priorities automatically generated on the basis of answers to a series of questions about their data activities. The app, free to download to iOS and Android devices, also contains a wealth of information and practical guidance on the GDPR.

Eduardo Ustaran, European lead of the Privacy and Cybersecurity practice at Hogan Lovells, said:

"The GDPR clock is ticking and affects all businesses. If you have not started preparing for it, the time to get going is now. Our new app, GDPRnow, will help identify what matters the most and what compliance steps should be prioritised.

"GDPRnow is the result of our experience working with companies across all industry sectors that are looking for a clear roadmap for compliance."

The GDPR introduces new accountability obligations, stronger rights and ongoing restrictions on international data flows. Businesses operating in Europe or targeting European customers will be subject to the new regime from 25 May 2018 and data protection authorities have been granted wide enforcement powers which will become effective on that date.

To download the app, click here or search GDPR now in the iOS App Store.