This paper will lay out key steps to help organisations sensibly adopt a better data protection posture and with it, build a firm foundation towards onward compliance. The key principles of Classification by Design will be introduced as a logical, yet robust start point. We summarize with the overarching takeaway that organisations should not view compliance as an expense, but as a positive competitive differentiator and one that, over the long term, will prove to deliver efficiencies back to the business. We conclude that compliance should not be an expense.”]