E-Commerce & Manufacturing Firm Tackles GDPR and CCPA

A growing e-commerce and manufacturing company knew data privacy was becoming mission-critical but wasn't sure where it stood. Operating across multiple states and internationally, the organization had obligations under both GDPR and CCPA but lacked the in-house expertise to interpret either regulation or apply it to their specific operations. A previous engagement with another firm had left leadership with more questions than answers: the work amounted to an inquiry and a report, with no real guidance on what to do next. They needed a partner who could assess their privacy posture, explain what it meant in plain language, and stay involved through the work.

Clark Schaefer Consulting stepped in with a hands-on advisory approach built on the NIST Privacy Framework. We conducted a thorough gap assessment to evaluate existing privacy lifecycle processes, identified more than 50 privacy gaps across the organization, and provided plain-language guidance on GDPR and CCPA obligations tailored to the company's specific structure and operations. Rather than waiting until the engagement closed to deliver findings, we developed an actionable privacy roadmap as the work progressed, so the client could begin moving forward before the final report was in hand.

With 50+ privacy gaps identified and addressed, leadership now has a firm understanding of where the organization stands on both GDPR and CCPA risk. Executives can make strategic decisions with full visibility into their privacy obligations, and staff across the organization have gained clarity on their roles and responsibilities. The engagement positioned the company to handle the growing patchwork of state-level privacy regulations without starting from scratch each time, building the internal confidence and literacy needed to manage privacy risk going forward.