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PDPL compliance services in Saudi Arabia

Achieve full PDPL compliance, secure personal data, and avoid regulatory risks with dual expertise and end-to-end support in cybersecurity and compliance.

PDPL Checklist
OVERVIEW

What is
PDPL compliance?

Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law regulates how businesses use, store, and protect data. It was released through the Royal Decree M19 in September 2021 and enforced in September 2024, making it mandatory for all organizations handling data of Saudi Arabia’s residents to comply with the requirements.

PDPL Compliance
APPLICABILITY

Who does PDPL apply to?

It applies to all the organizations that handle the personal data of Saudi Arabian residents, including:

  • Startups/small businesses
  • SaaS companies
  • Any public and private entity in or outside Saudi Arabia handling personal data of Saudi residents
  • Healthcare, Financial, and other sectors
Who does PDPL apply to
Why

Why PDPL compliance matters?

  • Avoids fines – up to SAR 5 million!
  • Prevents breaches and cyber incidents
  • Builds trust and credibility
  • Meets legal and regulatory requirements
  • Prepares employees for breaches
  • Keeps data and data processing systems secure
BENEFITS

PDPL’s core cybersecurity requirements: What is expected?

Data Protection and Security Controls
  • Encrypt all the sensitive data (in transit & at rest)
  • Use strong role-based access controls
  • Implement Multi-Factor Authentication
  • Regularly update and patch systems
Access Management
  • Limit access to authorized employees only
  • Log who accessed what data
  • Remove access when an employee leaves
Infrastructure Security
  • Conduct vulnerability assessments of infrastructure
  • Treat risks identified
  • Secure servers and cloud environments
  • Use firewalls and intrusion detection systems
Testing & Monitoring
  • Pentest infrastructure
  • Monitor systems for suspicious activity
  • Use SIEM for logging and alerting
Awareness

Are you aware of the risks of PDPL non-compliance?

Is your business lawfully using, processing, collecting, storing, and protecting data as per the PDPL? If not, you could face the risk of:

  • Fines – up to SAR 5 million (higher for repeated violations)
  • Severe punishment – imprisonment for wrongful processing of sensitive data
  • Higher exposure to the risk of data breach
  • Loss of time and money in legal proceedings
  • Suspension/disruption of services during investigations
  • Loss of contracts with global partners requiring PDPL
  • Loss of customer trust

Go from Partial to Full PDPL Compliance

Most businesses don’t realize that they are not fully PDPL compliant. We can help you become fully PDPL compliant by helping you:

  • Identify hidden compliance and security gaps
  • Implement strong measures to protect personal data
  • Develop PDPL-aligned policies and processes
  • Continuously monitor risk and compliance status
  • Stay updated with the latest PDPL requirements
Go from Partial to Full PDPL Compliance
Offerings

PDPL Compliance Services we offer

Gap assessment

We identify compliance gaps and risks by evaluating current data protection against PDPL requirements. We assess policies, processes, and systems, identify compliance and security gaps, and provide a detailed gap analysis report with actionable recommendations.

Data mapping & classification

Since understanding the data is the first step, we identify what personal data an organization collects, map data flows across systems & departments, and classify sensitive and critical data.

Policy and documentation

We help build documentation for PDPL compliance. We draft privacy and data protection policies, create consent mechanisms & notices, and develop internal procedures for data handling.

Implementation

We implement strong cybersecurity measures for the protection of personal data. These measures include implementing encryption, setting up role-based access controls (RBAC), configuring MFA, and securing the infrastructure and cloud environment.

Data subject rights management

We help organizations manage and respond to user requests as required under PDPL by helping them set up processes for data access requests, enabling data correction and deletion workflows, and implementing consent withdrawal mechanisms.

Third party risk management

By assessing third-party data handling practices, reviewing and strengthening vendor contracts, and implementing data sharing controls, we assist organizations in ensuring that their vendors and partners also comply with PDPL.

Incident response and breach notification

We prepare organizations to respond quickly and effectively to data breaches by helping them develop incident response plans, create PDPL-compliant breach notification procedures, and support breach handling and reporting.

Training and awareness

We conduct employee training and awareness sessions to build awareness around data protection best practices to help organizations reduce risks caused by human error.

Ongoing compliance support

Since PDPL compliance is not a one-time activity, we perform regular audits and assessments and monitor compliance against the latest regulatory changes, offering continuous support for updates.

BENEFITS

SharkStriker SOC – Prime Benefits

Combined expertise

in cybersecurity and regulatory compliance

End-to-end support

from assessment to implementation

Practical, implementation-focused approach (not just consulting)

Actionable reports – with clear recommendations

Tailored solutions

based on your business size and industry

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

PDPL means following all the data privacy and protection requirements while collecting, storing, and protecting personal data.

It applies to any organization handling personal data of Saudi residents even businesses operating outside Saudi Arabia.

No. In fact, MDR is an affordable way through which SMBs can step up their resilience and keep their infrastructure secure on a 24/7 basis with the right people, processes, and technology.

It depends on a lot of factors like size and complexity of your organization. It could be from a few weeks to a few months.

Learn more about PDPL compliance, its requirements, and real world examples through our detailed PDPL guide.

PDPL compliance guide