Services > Privacy Impact Assessments 

Privacy Impact Assessment Services

A privacy impact assessment shows how personal information moves through a system or program, where the risks are and what to change. Alphabyte delivers structured PIAs for organizations across Canada, assessing your data practices against PIPEDA, provincial privacy laws and, where they apply, GDPR and HIPAA.

You get practical recommendations grounded in how your systems and teams actually work, ideally before a new system goes live.

Success Stories

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What We Do

Privacy impact assessment services that show where personal data is at risk and what to do.

Our privacy consultants document what personal and sensitive information you hold, where it is stored, how it flows between systems and third parties, and who can access it. We then rate the privacy risks and give you practical steps to reduce them and help you meet your obligations.

Most organizations come to us before launching a new system, moving data to the cloud, starting an analytics or AI project, or sharing data with a new vendor. Others need a PIA because a client, funder or regulator has asked for one. Fixing a privacy problem at design stage costs far less than after go-live.

We work alongside your legal counsel and privacy officer. We assess and document risks and controls, and your counsel interprets the law. If you handle health data, read our healthcare analytics compliance best practices.

01

Data Inventory & Mapping

What personal data you hold, where it lives and how it flows.

02

Privacy Risk Assessment

Access, retention, consent and third-party risks, each given a clear risk rating.

03

Regulatory Compliance Gap Analysis

Your practices compared with PIPEDA, provincial laws, GDPR or HIPAA as they apply.

04

Technology & System Privacy Review

Access controls, encryption, logging, sharing settings and retention in your systems.

05

Third-Party & Vendor Data Risk

Vendor contracts, data processing agreements and external access reviewed for privacy risk.

06

Privacy by Design Advisory

Privacy built into new systems and processes before they are built or bought.

07

Access Control & Data Governance Review

Who can see sensitive data, under what conditions and with what accountability.

08

PIA Report & Remediation Roadmap

Documented findings, risk ratings and a prioritized plan your team can act on.

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How can Alphabyte Help me?
We Understand Digital Transformation

  • We agree on which systems, processes, data types and laws are in scope, and what decision the PIA needs to support, such as a go-live, a vendor choice or a request from a funder. Scoping usually takes 1 to 2 weeks and sets a clear boundary, so the assessment stays focused.

  • We work with IT, operations, legal and business teams to map data flows and list the personal information you hold. We look at how sensitive data is used in practice, not just on paper, because the gaps that matter most are often between written policy and daily work.

  • We evaluate each data practice against a structured privacy risk framework and the laws in scope, such as PIPEDA or Ontario's FIPPA and PHIPA. Each risk gets a rating, and each gap is tied to the specific obligation or principle it relates to, so priorities are clear.

  • We review the technical controls in the systems in scope, including access management, encryption, audit logging, retention settings and data sharing configurations. The question is simple: do the controls in place actually manage the risks we found? Where they fall short, we say what to change at the system level.

  • We document everything in a structured PIA report with risk ratings, references to the relevant laws and prioritized recommendations. Immediate fixes are separated from longer-term improvements, and the report is written so leadership, IT and your privacy officer can each find what they need.

  • We hand over the report with a sequenced remediation roadmap for closing gaps and improving governance. We walk your team through the findings, so the people who own each fix understand what to do and in what order. The roadmap also notes when the PIA should be revisited.

Your Privacy & Security Advisory Partner

Partnering with Alphabyte gives you privacy consultants who understand both privacy principles and the systems where personal data actually lives. Our team includes CISSP and CCSP certified members and brings experience in data governance, IT security assessment and cybersecurity consulting.

Every recommendation is grounded in evidence and tied to a specific regulatory or operational risk. Alphabyte was founded in Toronto in 2015 and has served 100+ organizations across Canada and the United States.

We work with mid-market and enterprise organizations across Canada and the United States. Related services: cybersecurity audits, it and current state assessment and it consulting and digital advisory.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • A privacy impact assessment, or PIA, is a structured review of how a program, system or process collects, uses, shares, stores and disposes of personal information. It identifies privacy risks, checks them against the laws and policies that apply, and recommends ways to reduce them.

  • Federal government institutions must complete PIAs for new or changed programs that use personal information, and public bodies and health organizations in several provinces are required or expected to do the same. Private-sector organizations under PIPEDA are generally not required to, but the federal Privacy Commissioner recommends them. Your legal counsel confirms what applies to you.

  • It depends on who you are and what data you hold. PIPEDA, Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, covers personal information used in commercial activity. Ontario's FIPPA covers provincial institutions, and PHIPA covers personal health information held by health information custodians. GDPR or HIPAA may also apply if you handle data about people in Europe or US health information.

  • A privacy consultant helps you understand how personal information is handled in your organization and where the risks are. That usually means mapping data flows, reviewing systems and vendors, completing PIAs and recommending practical controls. It does not replace legal advice, so we work alongside your counsel and privacy officer.

  • Our PIA report includes the scope and context, a data inventory and flow map, the risks identified with a rating for each, references to the relevant laws, a review of technical controls and a prioritized remediation roadmap. It is written so leadership, IT and your privacy officer can each act on it.

  • A PIA for a single system or program usually takes about 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the number of systems, vendors and data types involved and how quickly stakeholders are available. Assessments that span several systems take longer, and we agree on the timeline with you during scoping.

  • It depends on scope: the number of systems and data flows, how many vendors share the data, which laws apply and how much documentation exists. A focused PIA on one new system takes less effort than an organization-wide review. We agree on scope before we start, so the cost is clear.

  • No. A PIA looks at whether personal information is collected, used and shared appropriately, and what privacy risks that creates. A cybersecurity audit looks at whether your systems and data are protected from threats. The two overlap on access control and encryption, and many organizations do both when launching a major system.

  • Before, ideally. A PIA done at the design or procurement stage can shape the system, so privacy controls are built in rather than added later at higher cost. If a system is already live, a PIA is still worthwhile. It documents the current risks and gives you a plan to close the gaps.

  • A PIA on its own does not make an organization compliant, and we do not give legal advice. It gives you an independent, documented view of your privacy risks and gaps, with practical recommendations to help you meet your obligations. Your legal counsel interprets the law, and our report gives them clear evidence.

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