What are the GDPR compliance requirements in 2025 ?: A Complete Guide for SaaS Platforms, Software, Quick base & SQL Server
What are the GDPR compliance requirements in 2025 ? : The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), passed by the European Union in May 2018, has transformed how organizations process personal data. It provides strict protocols for how businesses collect, store, maintain, and process EU citizens’ personal information, irrespective of the company’s location. For data handlers such as SaaS platforms, software vendors, and SQL Server users, ensuring GDPR compliance is not just a legal requirement – it’s a strategic necessity to build user trust and avoid heavy penalties.
Whether you’re developing enterprise software, hosting user data, or processing analytics in SQL, GDPR compliance should be an integral part of your operational and technical strategy in 2025.
1. What are the main GDPR requirements?
Before going into the detailed platforms and tools, it’s important to recognize what are the main GDPR requirements that any business or software platform has to abide by.
The GDPR requires transparency, accountability, and security when processing personal data. These requirements are for both data controllers (who decide how and why data is processed) and data processors (who process data on behalf of controllers).
What are the GDPR compliance requirements
Key requirements:
- Lawful basis for processing – You need a valid reason to gather and process personal data (e.g., consent, contract, legal requirement).
- User consent – Consent needs to be specific, informed, unambiguous and given freely.
- Data subject rights – This entails the right to access, correct, erase, restrict and transfer personal data.
- Data protection by design and default – Make sure that data protection is included within all systems and processes.
- Breach notification – Notify within 72 hours of a data breach.
- Data processing agreements (DPAs) – Have in place all third-party processors.
- Record-keeping – Keep precise records of all data processing.
- Data minimisation – Collect only data required for a specific purpose.
- Privacy notices – must be clear, transparent and accessible.
- Impact assessments – carry out data protection impact assessments (DPIA) on high-risk data processing.
2. GDPR compliance for SaaS platform owners
SaaS companies are usually both data controllers and data processors. They gather user information directly and can store or analyse data on behalf of customers. Dual responsibility implies more due diligence and compliance procedures.
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Major SaaS provider tasks:
• Put in place robust consent mechanisms for users
- Utilize opt-in forms
- Make withdrawal of consent possible
•Encrypt data in transit and at rest
• Regularly audit data
• Grant full user control over data
- Update profiles
- Right to delete
• Ensure secure data backup and disaster recovery plans
• Employ GDPR-compliant subprocessors
• Publish clear privacy policies
• Monitor and track data processing logs
What are the GDPR compliance requirements
3. Quickbase GDPR Compliance: What You Need to Know
Quickbase is a low-code development platform for creating custom business apps. In the context of business data, making Quickbase GDPR compliant involves appropriate security configuration and user access settings.
How Quickbase facilitates GDPR:
• User access management
- Role-based access controls
- Audit logs for user activity
• Data encryption
- TLS encryption in transit
- AES-256 encryption at rest
• Data deletion tools
- Admin capabilities to delete records
- Anonymize personal data
• Custom privacy notifications
- Embed notifications in app forms and workflows
• Data portability
- Export function for user data
• Subprocessor management
- Public list of subprocessors
- Data processing agreements (DPAs) enforced
4. GDPR Software Compliance: General Guidelines for Software Providers
If you are developing or distributing software that handles user data, your application must be built with GDPR requirements in mind – from architecture to user interface.
Compliance tips for software developers:
• Privacy by design principles
- Incorporate GDPR into the app design and development lifecycle
• Comprehensive logging
- Track data access and usage
• Modular consent management
- Allow selective opt-in
- Separate marketing versus essential data
• Easy-to-use user portal
- Update, delete, or export personal data
- GDPR-ready APIs
- Endpoints to manage user data rights
• Regular security patches and audits
• Third-party integration management
- Check every plugin or SDK used in your application
• Employee training and internal policies
- Train developers and support staff on GDPR best practices
What are the GDPR compliance requirements
5. GDPR compliance for SQL Server: Best practices
SQL Server often stores large amounts of personal data. Securing the database environment and providing mechanisms for data access and deletion is essential to ensure GDPR compliance.
Best practices for SQL Server administrators:
• Data classification
- Use SQL Server Data Discovery and Classification tools
- Tag sensitive data fields
• Encryption and masking
- Transparent data encryption (TDE)
- Dynamic data masking
• Auditing and monitoring
- SQL Server audit logs
- Monitor unauthorized access
• Role-based access control
- Minimize user privileges
- Use Windows authentication
• Data subject rights implementation
- Stored procedures to access or erase data
• Backup security
- Encrypt and control access to backups
• Always keep encryption on
- Use always encrypted for highly sensitive columns
6. Penalties for non-compliance
Failure to comply with GDPR can result in heavy fines and reputation damage.
• Fine levels:
- Tier 1: Up to €10 million or 2% of annual global turnover
- Tier 2: Up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover
• Real-world examples:
- British Airways – £20M fine
- Marriott International – £18.4M fine
- Google – €50M fine in France
What are the GDPR compliance requirements
7. GDPR Compliance Checklist for 2025
A structured checklist helps teams ensure no compliance element is missed, whether you’re running a SaaS platform or managing a backend database.
Compliance checklist:
- Maintain GDPR data maps
- Appoint a data protection officer (DPO) if necessary
- Draft and publish privacy policies
- Create user data request processes
- Regularly update security infrastructure
- Train employees on GDPR compliance
- Perform DPIAs on new data projects
- Monitor data breaches and report them promptly
- Maintain third-party DPA contracts
8. GDPR and future trends in data protection
With increasing digital regulation and AI integration, GDPR is expected to evolve further.
Upcoming changes and trends:
- AI and GDPR conflict resolution
- Cross-border data flow contracts
- Global privacy law alignment
- Automated compliance tools
- Zero trust architecture
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What are the GDPR compliance requirements
Conclusion
GDPR compliance is no longer optional — it’s essential. Whether you’re a SaaS owner, a SQL Server administrator, or using a tool like Quickbase, embedding GDPR into your workflow protects your users and your business. With clear policies, strong technical security measures, and constant monitoring, your platform can remain fully compliant while earning the trust of your users.