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Defensible data protection, mapped to the data you actually process.

Practical GDPR consulting — RoPA, DPIAs, transfer assessments, breach playbooks, and DPO-as-a-service. Fixed-scope, senior-led, built to survive a supervisory authority’s scrutiny.

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  • Senior-led delivery.
  • No tools sold.
  • Evidence-driven reporting.

Most companies don’t need a 200-page policy pack. They need a GDPR consultant who starts from the data they actually process and works outward — and who can tell the difference between a real exposure and a box that an auditor wants ticked. That’s the GDPR consulting HackingByte does: practical, scoped, and built to survive a supervisory authority’s scrutiny, not just an internal review.

We map what you process and why, find where the lawful basis or the transfers don’t hold, run the data protection impact assessments your new features need, and leave you with playbooks your team can actually use when something goes wrong. To be clear about what we are and aren’t: this is data-protection consulting, not legal advice — we don’t give legal opinions or represent you before a regulator, and where you need that, we work alongside your counsel. Everything else, we handle.

What we do.

What a GDPR consultant should actually do.

  • Map what you process (RoPA).

    Everything in GDPR follows from knowing what personal data you hold, where it lives, why you process it, who you share it with, and how long you keep it. We build or refresh your Records of Processing Activities against reality — the systems and flows your teams actually use — not an idealized diagram. A RoPA that matches what’s really happening is the foundation every other obligation rests on, and the first thing a regulator asks to see.

  • Check the lawful basis holds.

    For each processing activity, we review whether the lawful basis is the right one and whether it would survive challenge — consent that’s actually freely given and withdrawable, legitimate interests with a documented balancing test, contractual necessity that’s genuinely necessary. This is where a lot of “compliant” programs quietly aren’t.

  • Run the DPIAs your features need.

    When you launch something that processes personal data at scale, profiles people, or uses AI to make decisions about them, a data protection impact assessment isn’t optional — and it’s the artifact that unblocks the launch. We run the DPIA end to end: necessity and proportionality, risks to data subjects, mitigations, and the residual-risk call, written so it stands up if a supervisory authority ever reads it.

  • Align your processors and controllers.

    We review the processor and controller agreements up and down your supply chain — who’s a processor, who’s a controller, whether the contracts say what they need to, and whether your sub-processor chain is actually papered. The moment you take on a new vendor or your customer takes you on, these are what get scrutinized.

  • Assess your transfers.

    Cross-border data flows are where good programs get caught out. We assess your transfer mechanisms — Standard Contractual Clauses and the transfer impact assessment behind them — against current EDPB guidance, so a data flow you’ve relied on for years doesn’t turn out to be the gap.

  • Make you ready for the bad day.

    A breach-response playbook you’ve never tested is a document, not a plan. We design breach-response playbooks mapped to your actual systems and the 72-hour notification clock, so when something happens, your team knows who does what, what gets assessed, and when the regulator and the data subjects have to be told.

A GDPR compliance consultant should scope to your situation, not sell you everything. Some clients need a full maturity uplift; some need a single DPIA before a launch; some need a transfer impact assessment or an outside DPO. We size the work to the question you’re actually trying to answer — see the packages below.

Built to survive scrutiny.

The market is full of generic GDPR policy packs — a folder of templates with your logo dropped in. They look like compliance and protect against almost nothing, because they describe a company that isn’t yours. We work the other way around: from the data you actually process to the obligations that actually apply, and we’re honest about which gaps matter and which are cosmetic. HackingByte is a security firm, so we read data protection through an offensive lens — not just “is there a policy?” but “where does this personal data actually flow, who can reach it, and what would a breach of it really cost?” A data-protection posture mapped to real exposure is far harder to knock over than one mapped to a checklist, and it’s the kind a board and a regulator both accept. <strong>And we stay in our lane.</strong> We give you practical, defensible data-protection consulting — mapping, assessments, agreements, and playbooks. We don’t write legal opinions, draft binding corporate rules, or represent you before a supervisory authority. When you need that, we’ll say so and work alongside your lawyers rather than pretend the line doesn’t exist.

What you can buy.

Five fixed-scope packages — buy exactly the piece you need.

GDPR consulting works best as defined, fixed-scope pieces rather than an open-ended retainer of billable hours. We package it so you can buy exactly the piece you need:

  • GDPR Maturity Uplift — the full picture: RoPA, lawful-basis review, processor/controller alignment, transfer assessment, and a prioritized remediation plan. For organizations that need to get from “we think we’re fine” to a defensible posture.
  • Single DPIA — one data protection impact assessment, run end to end, for a specific new or changed processing activity (an AI feature, a profiling change, a large-scale processing rollout). The artifact that unblocks the launch.
  • Transfer Impact Assessment — a focused assessment of a specific cross-border data flow and the SCCs behind it, against current EDPB guidance.
  • Breach-Response Readiness — a tested breach-response playbook mapped to your systems and the 72-hour clock, plus a tabletop so your team has run it before they have to.
  • DPO-as-a-Service — an outside Data Protection Officer on a monthly retainer, or ongoing support for your in-house DPO, for organizations that need the role covered without a full-time hire.

How we work.

A six-stage lifecycle worked to GDPR and EDPB guidance.

HackingByte doesn’t invent methodology — we work to GDPR itself and the European Data Protection Board’s guidelines, with EU Standard Contractual Clauses and national supervisory-authority guidance where they apply, and we tell you the basis before we start. Project work runs on the same six-stage lifecycle as every HackingByte engagement.

Scoping. We define which processing activities, systems, and obligations are in scope, agree deliverables, and set a fixed price — ending in a signed Statement of Work.

Kickoff. We confirm contacts, access to the people who actually know how the data flows, and a working schedule.

Execution. The work itself — mapping, reviews, DPIAs, assessments, playbook design — scoped to the package. If we find something urgent (an unlawful transfer, an unpapered processor handling sensitive data), you hear about it immediately, not at the end.

Reporting. We produce the deliverables and the Three-Artifact Model, peer-reviewed before you see them.

Debrief. A working session with the people who’ll own the remediation, plus an executive readout for leadership.

Closure and ongoing support. The remediation plan goes to its owners; where you’ve taken DPO-as-a-Service, the relationship continues on a monthly cadence.

This sits inside our broader GRC advisory practice, so where data protection overlaps your ISO 27001 or SOC 2 work, the evidence is reused rather than rebuilt. You can read the full lifecycle on our methodology page.

See how we work

What you get.

Concrete artifacts you can use and show.

Every engagement ends in concrete artifacts you can use and show, not a verbal summary:

  • Records of Processing Activities — built or refreshed against your real systems.
  • DPIA reports — written to stand up to a supervisory authority, with the residual-risk decision documented.
  • Processor and controller agreement reviews — what’s covered, what’s missing, and what to fix.
  • Breach-response playbooks — mapped to your systems and the 72-hour clock.

Timeline and pricing.

Project work typically runs four to twelve weeks depending on the package and the size of your processing footprint — a single DPIA is fast; a full maturity uplift across a complex estate takes longer. DPO-as-a-Service is an ongoing monthly arrangement. We set the schedule during scoping around your real deadline, whether that’s a feature launch, a customer’s procurement gate, or a response to a complaint.

Pricing is fixed and set per package, with the band shared during scoping before you sign — no day rates, no open-ended hours, no incentive to stretch the work. We don’t run free pilots; the scoping call is free, and everything past it is a defined, paid engagement. If you have a budget, tell us during scoping and we’ll be straight about which package it covers. The goal is data-protection work sized to your real risk and your real deadline.

When teams call us.

The most common moments organizations bring in a GDPR consultant:

  • A new AI or profiling feature that needs a DPIA before it ships.

  • A cross-border data-flow change that puts transfer mechanisms in question.

  • A data-subject complaint or a supervisory-authority enquiry.

  • A new processor or sub-processor relationship that needs papering.

  • An M&A integration touching personal data.

  • An enterprise customer’s security and privacy review asking for evidence before they sign.

Frequently asked questions

Are you a law firm — is this legal advice?
No. We provide practical data-protection consulting — mapping, DPIAs, agreement reviews, transfer assessments, and breach playbooks. We don’t give legal opinions or represent you before a supervisory authority. Where you need that, we work alongside your counsel.
Which parts of GDPR do you cover?
Records of processing, lawful-basis review, DPIAs, processor and controller agreements, transfer mechanisms (SCCs and transfer impact assessments), and breach response — worked to GDPR and EDPB guidance.
Do you provide a Data Protection Officer?
Yes — DPO-as-a-Service on a monthly retainer, or ongoing support for your in-house DPO.
We’re launching an AI or profiling feature — can you help?
Yes. That usually needs a DPIA plus a lawful-basis and transparency review, which is one of our fixed-scope packages and is often the artifact that unblocks the launch.
What does it cost?
Each package is fixed-scope and fixed-price; we give you the band during scoping before you commit. We don’t quote day rates.
How long does it take?
Project work runs about four to twelve weeks depending on scope; a single DPIA is faster than a full maturity uplift. DPO-as-a-Service is ongoing.
We’ve had a complaint or a supervisory-authority enquiry — can you help?
We can map the processing, assess the gaps, and build the remediation and playbooks. Legal representation before the authority stays with your lawyers; we support that work, we don’t replace it.
Do you only work with EU-based companies?
No — anyone processing EU personal data, wherever they’re based. We assess against GDPR, EDPB guidance, and national supervisory-authority guidance.

Related services

Most engagements pair with one of the routes below — each is a senior-led, fixed-scope, evidence-first programme that follows the same reporting model.

Tell us what you’re launching, or what’s worrying you, and we’ll scope the data-protection work around it.

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