The Compliance Iceberg: Are you ready for the wave of global privacy laws in Workday?
In our last post, we uncovered the hidden compliance risks lurking in Workday lower environments—the parts of your system often overlooked, but just as vulnerable.
While many organisations work tirelessly to keep their production environments secure, lower environments like development, testing, and training tenants often become breeding grounds for privacy breaches and regulatory exposure. Now, with a surge in global and regional data privacy laws, the compliance iceberg is growing even larger, extending well below the surface.
If you’re a CIO, CHRO, or head of systems or HRIS, especially in a regulated industry or a region with strict privacy laws, this is the time to pay close attention.
Regional data privacy laws: Rising fast, getting tougher
Since GDPR reshaped privacy worldwide in 2018, the number of countries with comprehensive data protection laws has more than doubled. Today, approximately 75-80% of countries worldwide have enacted privacy regulations, many modeled on the GDPR’s strict principles.
These laws often demand:
• Individual rights like access, correction, deletion, portability
• Explicit consent especially for sensitive data
• Privacy impact assessments (PIAs) for high-risk processing
• Severe penalties, often tied to global revenue
It’s not just Europe. The regulatory net is tightening everywhere:
United States: 20+ states including California (CPRA), Virginia (VCDPA), Texas, and Florida have passed comprehensive data privacy laws. Each adds new obligations and rights around personal data.
Canada: Quebec’s Law 25 imposes GDPR-like rules with steep fines, with a federal PIPEDA overhaul underway.
Asia & LATAM: China’s PIPL and Brazil’s LGPD bring strict cross-border data rules, with India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and others are rolling out new laws in 2025.
Africa & Middle East: South Africa’s POPIA, Saudi Arabia’s PDPL, and the UAE’s new federal PDPL are reshaping data governance.
It’s not just production: Why lower environments are the hidden danger
Most compliance teams and Workday admins naturally zero in on production. But here’s the risk:
• Up to 60% of data breaches trace back to non-production environments.
• 82% of organisations identify lower environments as their biggest vulnerability for data exposure.
Why? Lower environments often:
• Use real, unmasked personal data cloned from production for testing, training, or development
• Have weaker controls and lighter monitoring
• Allow broader access, including by third parties or consultants
Privacy laws and regulators don’t care whether a breach happens in production or QA. Your liability applies wherever personal data lives.
Regional regulators are watching
Enforcement agencies globally are making it crystal clear: non-production environments are not exempt.
• Quebec’s Law 25 requires demonstrable safeguards across all systems.
• California’s CPRA and Virginia’s VCDPA demand accountability for internal and vendor data handling.
• Australia’s new Privacy Act reforms tighten governance across all environments.
• Even HIPAA explicitly mandates protections for PHI in development and testing environments.
Failing here means more than fines. It can derail Workday transformation projects, damage employee trust, and put your leadership team under the microscope.
See how leading organisations protect Workday data and stay compliant
Across industries, organisations are taking proactive steps to secure their Workday environments and meet growing regulatory demands. Here are just a few examples:
Top UK Retailer: Safeguards sensitive employee data in non-production Workday environments with Smart Shield, protecting thousands of staff records while enabling efficient testing and training. Read more.
Global financial institution: Achieved audit compliance and reduced risk by masking data across all Workday tenants, streamlining regulatory reporting and reinforcing trust with stakeholders. Read more.
Leading software provider: Enhanced Workday testing and strengthened data security with dynamic access controls and masking, accelerating deployments across international markets. Read more.
Major financial firm: Secured Workday data access to meet strict privacy obligations, minimising exposure risks across multi-country operations and complex business units. Read more
Future-proofing compliance: look below the surface
As privacy laws continue to expand —projected to grow another 20-30% globally by 2026—securing all your Workday environments is no longer optional. Here’s what modern best practices look like and a quick way to check if you’re covered:
1. Is sensitive data masked across all non-production Workday tenants?
Advanced data masking ensures personal data stays protected, even in development, testing, and training.
2. Are privacy impact assessments (PIAs) automated for GDPR, PIPEDA, CPRA and emerging APAC / LATAM rules? This keeps you ahead of regulatory obligations without manual overhead.
3. Do dynamic access controls limit who can see what — both internally and with external vendors? Only the right people access the right data, reducing exposure.
4. Is continuous monitoring and auditing in place to prove compliance under growing scrutiny? Be ready to demonstrate your safeguards to regulators, customers, and auditors.
Stay agile without sacrificing compliance
Data privacy laws are only getting tougher. But with proactive safeguards, you can:
• Protect personal data end-to-end
• Accelerate Workday projects and upgrades
• Build long-term resilience against an evolving regulatory landscape
Want to see how leading organisations are staying ahead?
Watch our webinar: The Compliance Iceberg—Preparing Workday environments for today’s evolving privacy laws. Let’s keep what’s below the surface from sinking your compliance efforts.