Data Privacy Day: Why more security tools don't mean better data protection

Last year, a record 1113 data breaches were reported to Australia’s privacy regulator, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — a 25% increase compared to 2023, representing the highest total since mandatory breach reporting began in 2018.

Data Privacy Day this year is a timely reminder for Australian organisations to reflect on how effectively they protect the personal information entrusted to them.

Yet, alongside this surge in reported incidents, many organisations are responding by simply investing and installing more security tools. This ‘more is better’ mindset may feel reassuring, but in practice, it often leads to fragmented systems, reduced visibility and greater operational complexity, which ultimately makes data harder to protect, not easier.

The problem with piling on tools

Security tool sprawl tends to develop organically. A business faces a new risk? Add a point solution. Regulatory pressure increases? Invest in another product. The IT environment is quickly littered with overlapping technologies that don’t integrate well, causing alert fatigue and confusing workflows.

This complexity makes it hard to answer basic but critical questions: What data do we hold? Where is it stored? Who can access it? Without clear answers to these fundamental questions, organisations are left guessing about risk — even as they invest time and money on multiple tools.

Security becomes a juggling act, not a strategy.

What Australians actually experience

The disconnect between protection efforts and real outcomes is reflected in public sentiment. Research from UNSW and the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) shows that only about one in three Aussies feel in control of their personal data, and a significant majority want more control and choice over how their information is collected and used.

This lack of control and clarity hurts trust. When people don’t understand where their data resides or how it’s accessed, confidence erodes, even if tools are in place. Organisations that fail to simplify and clearly communicate their approach to data protection risk losing the trust of customers, partners and employees alike.

Focus on fundamentals first

Strong data protection starts not with tools, but with clarity and control.

Organisations must first understand what data they hold and where it lives — whether in cloud platforms, on-premises systems or third-party services. Once data sources are mapped, the next priority is controlling access through consistent identity management. Permissions to see or change sensitive data should be clear, auditable and aligned to business needs.

Without this foundation, advanced security products can only ever deliver partial protection. It’s like buying a top-of-the-line alarm system before locking the front door.

Why simplification strengthens security

Security simplification doesn’t mean doing less. It means doing the right things better.

Many organisations already have powerful capabilities in their existing technology estate that are underutilised or poorly integrated. Rationalising and consolidating security investments reduces overlap, improves data visibility and simplifies incident response.

When tools are tightly aligned with fundamental controls, such as identity and data management, security teams can operate more efficiently. They spend less time wrestling with tool complexity and more time managing true risk. This clarity also supports business leaders in making confident, data-driven decisions about where to invest next.

Shifting from compliance to resilience

Compliance alone isn’t enough. Meeting regulatory requirements is a baseline, but it shouldn’t be treated as the end goal or a checkbox exercise. Organisations must ask themselves whether their security environment genuinely protects the data they collect, process and store, and whether they can act swiftly when problems arise.

In Australia, a growing number of breaches are attributed to malicious or criminal attacks, with phishing and ransomware leading as primary causes. In this landscape, resilient systems, not just compliant ones, are essential.

Making technology work smarter

Technology is a powerful ally for security teams, but only when it is applied within a well-structured security framework. AI excels when it has clean data, consistent workflows and clear priorities to guide it. Without these fundamentals, AI can amplify existing confusion.

Organisations that focus on integrating their tools, rather than simply expanding their stack, will be better positioned to detect threats early, respond with confidence, and protect the privacy of the data they hold.

Record breach numbers and low public confidence demonstrate that simply adding products is not improving privacy outcomes. Real progress comes from first understanding your data, controlling access and simplifying how tools work together to protect it.

In a digital era defined by trust — between businesses and their customers, partners and employees — simplicity, clarity and accountability matter more than ever. As we observe Data Privacy Day this year, technology leaders should ask a different question: Are we truly in control of our data — or are we just buying more tools to mask uncertainty?

Image credit: iStock.com/burcu demir