GDPR & ROT data cleanup, without the risk
TerraBytes is a GDPR data cleanup tool that scans your storage and flags risky, personal, unencrypted and stale files: the redundant, obsolete and trivial ROT data that inflates your breach exposure. Support data minimization and see exactly what all of it costs you, in euros and in CO₂.
What is ROT data, and why it is a GDPR problem
ROT data is redundant, obsolete and trivial data: the duplicate exports, the years-old files nobody opens, the copies of copies scattered across drives and clouds. On its own it looks harmless. But when that data contains personal information (names, emails, contracts, HR records, customer lists), every stale, forgotten file becomes something you are still responsible for under the GDPR.
The GDPR's data minimization principle is simple: only keep personal data you actually need, for as long as you genuinely need it. In practice that is hard, because most organisations have no clear view of what personal data they hold or where it lives. Cleaning up personal data starts with seeing it.
The logic is unavoidable: the less you keep, the lower your breach exposure. Every unencrypted, personal or stale file you remove is one less record that can be leaked, one less subject-access headache, one less thing to defend. A ROT data cleanup is not just housekeeping: it is one of the most direct ways to shrink your compliance risk.
The risky data hiding in your estate
TerraBytes scans your cloud and on-prem storage and surfaces the files that create the most compliance and cost risk.
Personal data in the wrong place
Customer lists on a public site, HR files in a shared team folder, exports that were never cleaned up. We flag personal data sitting where it should not be, so you can move or remove it.
Unencrypted sensitive files
Sensitive documents stored without encryption are a breach waiting to happen. TerraBytes highlights unencrypted files that hold personal or confidential data.
Stale data past its retention
Files kept long after any legal or business reason has expired. This is classic ROT and a direct conflict with data minimization, safe to archive or delete.
Duplicates multiplying exposure
The same personal record copied to five locations is five things to secure and five things to leak. We match duplicates so you can collapse them to a single, controlled copy.
Most of your risk is data you forgot you had
Around 52% of enterprise data is “dark data”: stored, powered and paid for, but never used. Source: Veritas Databerg
See your whole storage estate in minutes, not weeks of manual auditing.
Cost and carbon shown on every result, so you fix the biggest wins first.
Private by design: your data never leaves your environment.
Nothing is deleted automatically; you set the keep, archive and delete rules.
How the cleanup works
1. Connect. Point TerraBytes at your storage: SharePoint, OneDrive, NetApp, NAS or local drives, on Windows and macOS. It runs serverless and never moves your files.
2. Scan. One pass flags duplicate, outdated, oversized and risky files: personal data in the wrong place, unencrypted sensitive documents, and stale data past its retention, each with its euro and CO₂ impact.
3. Act. TerraBytes flags and recommends; it never deletes anything on its own. You define the keep, archive and delete rules that fit your retention policy, and every action leaves a documented, defensible audit trail your DPO or compliance team can rely on.
The result is a leaner estate, a smaller storage bill, and far less personal data sitting around waiting to become a problem.
An honest note on scope
TerraBytes flags risky, personal and stale data and reports it to support your compliance efforts. It is a tool to help you see and reduce what you hold. It is not legal advice, and not a substitute for a Data Protection Officer. Decisions about retention, lawful basis and remediation remain yours. What we give you is a clear, evidence-backed starting point so those decisions are informed rather than guesswork.
Clean up your whole storage estate
SharePoint storage cleanup →
Reclaim space and flag risky files across your SharePoint tenant.
OneDrive cleanup →
Find personal and stale data in OneDrive accounts, including those left behind.
Storage cleaner & optimizer →
The same scan across cloud and on-prem: NAS and local drives.
CSRD data & carbon →
Turn your data cleanup into reportable cost and CO₂ savings.
GDPR & ROT data cleanup questions
ROT stands for redundant, obsolete and trivial data: files that are duplicated, past their useful life, or hold no business value. It often makes up a large share of an organisation's storage, quietly driving up cost, carbon and risk without serving anyone. Cleaning up ROT data is a core part of GDPR data minimization.
One scan flags personal data sitting where it should not, unencrypted sensitive files, and stale data kept past its retention period. TerraBytes recommends what to keep, archive or delete and produces a documented, defensible audit trail, so you can reduce how much personal data you hold and lower your breach exposure. It supports your compliance work but is not a substitute for a DPO or legal advice.
Yes. A single scan flags files that appear to contain personal data, sensitive files that are stored unencrypted, and duplicates that multiply your exposure. Each finding shows its storage, euro and CO₂ impact so you can prioritise the highest-risk items first.
No. TerraBytes does not expose the contents of your files. It runs serverless inside your own environment, your data never leaves it, and everything is encrypted in transit and at rest.