Privacy policy

Last updated: February 2026

1. Who we are

Steelwise is a technology advisory practice based in Sheffield, providing security, web infrastructure, and AI advisory services.

Steelwise is a trading name of Technical Director Ltd (company number 08512222).

Data controller: Carl Heaton, Founder.

Contact: contact@steelwise.uk.

ICO registration number: ZA452030.

2. What personal data we collect

Website visitors

When you visit steelwise.uk, we may collect technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, page views, and visit duration. See the cookies section below for details.

Enquiries and contacts

When you get in touch, we collect your name, email address, phone number, company name, job title, and the content of your message or enquiry.

Clients

During and after an engagement, we may collect contact details, company and role information, financial information (for invoicing and payment), engagement records (meeting notes, correspondence, deliverables), and information about your systems and infrastructure as necessary for the engagement.

Delivery partners, contractors, and suppliers

We collect contact details, company and role information, financial information (for payment), and professional qualifications and experience where relevant to an engagement.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

  • Responding to enquiries — contact details and message content, on the basis of legitimate interest.
  • Providing advisory services — client contact and engagement data, on the basis of contractual necessity.
  • Invoicing and payment — financial and contact data, on the basis of contractual necessity and legal obligation.
  • Managing partner and supplier relationships — contact and financial data, on the basis of contractual necessity and legitimate interest.
  • Website analytics — technical and cookie data, on the basis of consent (cookies are placed only after you consent via the cookie banner).
  • Marketing communications — name and email, on the basis of consent (only with your explicit agreement).
  • Complying with legal obligations — as required by law.

4. Who we share data with

We may share personal data with delivery partners and subcontractors (where they are involved in providing services to you, and only to the extent necessary), cloud service providers who host our systems and data (e.g. Google Workspace) acting as data processors under appropriate agreements, professional advisors (accountants, solicitors, and insurers where necessary), and regulators and authorities where required by law (e.g. ICO, HMRC).

We do not sell personal data. We do not share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. International transfers

Our primary cloud services are hosted within the UK and EEA. Google Analytics data may be processed in the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure adequate safeguards are in place (e.g. adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or Google's data processing terms).

6. How long we keep data

Client engagement records are kept for 6 years after the engagement ends. Financial and tax records are kept for 6 years. Enquiry and prospect data is kept for 2 years from last contact. Website analytics data is kept for 26 months. Marketing consent records are kept for the duration of consent plus 1 year. Data is securely deleted when the retention period expires.

7. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the right to access your personal data (subject access request), rectify inaccurate or incomplete data, erase your data where applicable (the right to be forgotten), restrict processing in certain circumstances, data portability (receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format), object to processing based on legitimate interest, and withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@steelwise.uk. We will respond within one calendar month.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk.

8. Cookies

What are cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are used to recognise your device and remember information about your visit.

Cookies we use

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website. Analytics cookies are only placed after you consent via the cookie banner. If you decline, no analytics cookies are set and no data is collected by Google Analytics.

The cookies we use are:

  • _ga — distinguishes unique visitors. Third-party (Google). Duration: 2 years.
  • _ga_* — maintains session state. Third-party (Google). Duration: 2 years.
  • sw_consent — stores your cookie preference. First-party. Duration: 1 year.

Google Analytics collects: pages visited, visit duration, referral source, approximate location (country/city level), browser and device type. We have configured Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled. We do not use Google Analytics for advertising or remarketing purposes.

Google processes this data under their data processing terms. For more information, see Google's privacy policy.

Cookie consent

When you first visit steelwise.uk, a cookie consent banner will ask whether you accept analytics cookies. You can change your preference at any time by clearing your cookies.

Managing cookies

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies will not affect the core functionality of the website.

Third-party cookies

We do not use advertising cookies. Google Analytics cookies are the only third-party cookies used on the site. If we embed third-party content (e.g. videos), those providers may set their own cookies. We will note this where applicable.

9. Security

We take the security of personal data seriously. Technical and organisational measures are in place to protect your data, including encryption, access controls, and regular review.

10. Changes to this notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The current version will always be available on the website. Material changes will be communicated to active clients.

11. Contact

For questions about this privacy notice or to exercise your data rights, contact:

Carl Heaton, Founder
contact@steelwise.uk

We use cookies to understand how visitors use this site. More information.