There is no fixed answer to this question, but there are very clear signals that your organisation is holding more data than it can safely govern. And in the age of the Privacy Act 2024 reforms, that gap between what you hold and what you can protect is where your liability lives.
For Every Organisation, Data Grows
Left unmanaged, data accumulates. Every new system, every integration, every employee adds to the pile. Without active governance, you end up with duplicates, orphaned records, outdated personal information, and data that was collected for a purpose that no longer exists.
Signs you’re holding too much:
- You can’t answer “where is our customer data?” without significant investigation
- Storage costs are rising faster than your data use cases justify
- Your last data audit was more than 12 months ago, or never happened
- You have data in systems that are no longer actively used
- You can’t confidently complete a DSAR in 30 days
Why DPC’s Approach Works
DPC doesn’t recommend arbitrary data deletion. Instead, we recommend against unnecessary archiving of data that has no clear retention justification. Our assessments give you the evidence to make confident decisions about what to keep, what to archive properly, and what to safely remove.
The goal isn’t minimal data. It’s purposeful data. Every record your organisation holds should have a clear reason for existing.
Ready to find out how much data your organisation is really holding? View Assessments →