Welcome to SimplePIA!

SimplePIA is your comprehensive privacy management platform designed to help individuals and organizations create, manage, and maintain Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) efficiently. Whether you're new to privacy compliance or an experienced professional, SimplePIA provides the tools you need.

What You Can Do with SimplePIA

• Create comprehensive Privacy Impact Assessments using structured templates
• Collaborate with team members on privacy assessments and compliance projects
• Track and manage your organization's privacy compliance status
• Store and organize privacy-related documentation securely

Getting Started is Easy

1. Choose a subscription plan that fits your needs (start with our Free plan)
2. Set up your subscription and invite team members if needed
3. Create your first Privacy Impact Assessment
4. Explore collaboration features and manage your privacy program

Need Help Along the Way?

This Help Center contains detailed guidance on every aspect of using SimplePIA. Use the search feature to find specific topics, or browse by category to explore different areas of the platform.

Your First Steps with SimplePIA

This guide walks you through the essential first steps to get up and running with SimplePIA quickly and efficiently.

Step 1: Choose Your Subscription

Start by selecting a subscription plan that meets your needs. Our Free plan is perfect for individuals getting started, while paid plans offer enhanced features for teams and organizations.

Available Subscription Options

• Free: perfect for individuals
• Pro: ideal for small businesses
• Team: designed for growing organizations
• Enterprise: built for large organizations

Step 2: Set Up Your Account

• Complete your subscription setup (payment required for paid plans)
• Update your organization information and subscription details
• Familiarize yourself with the capacity display in your header menu

Step 3: Invite Your Team (Optional)

If you're working with a team, invite colleagues to join your subscription. Team members can collaborate on PIAs.

Step 4: Create Your First PIA

Begin with creating a Privacy Impact Assessment. Our structured templates guide you through each section, making the process straightforward even for those new to privacy assessments.

How Subscriptions Work in SimplePIA

Subscriptions are the foundation of your SimplePIA experience. They determine your access to features, storage capacity, and team collaboration capabilities.

Key Subscription Concepts

• Capacity Limits: Each plan includes specific limits for stored PIAs, monthly creations, and team members
• Team Collaboration: Invite colleagues to work together on privacy assessments
• Flexible Management: Upgrade, downgrade, or modify your subscription anytime
• Data Preservation: Your PIAs and configurations are preserved when changing plans

Monitoring Your Usage

Keep track of your subscription usage through the capacity display in your header menu. This shows your current usage for PIAs stored (P), monthly creations (C), and team members (M) with color-coded indicators.

Understanding Capacity Colors

• Green: Under 75% capacity - you're well within your limits
• Yellow: 75-89% capacity - consider planning for capacity management
• Red: 90%+ capacity - take action soon to avoid service limitations

Managing Multiple Subscriptions

You can own multiple subscriptions or be invited to join others. Use your subscription list page to view and manage your subscriptions, or to select your current subscription.

Essential Tasks for New Users

Here are the most common tasks new SimplePIA users want to accomplish, with suggested help topics that will guide you through each process.

Setting Up Your Account

• Choose a subscription plan → See 'Choosing a Subscription'
• Update subscription details → See 'Subscription Management'
• Understand capacity limits → See 'Capacity Management'

Building Your Team

• Invite team members → See 'Member Management'
• Manage team delegate permissions → See 'Member Management'
• Join someone else's subscription → See 'Member Options'

Creating Your First PIA

• Start a new Privacy Impact Assessment using the dashboard
• Work through PIA sections systematically
• Save your progress regularly as you work
• Use collaboration features to get input from team members

Managing Your Subscription

• Monitor capacity usage → See 'Capacity Management'
• Upgrade when needed → See 'Capacity Management'
• Manage billing → See 'Paid Subscription Management'

Getting Help When You Need It

• Search the Help Center for specific topics
• Check capacity troubleshooting if features seem unavailable
• Review subscription status if you encounter access issues

Making the Most of SimplePIA Help

The Help Center is organized into categories that mirror your SimplePIA journey, from choosing a subscription to advanced team management and capacity planning.

Help Categories Explained

• Welcome: New user orientation and getting started guidance
• Choosing a Subscription: Plan comparison and selection guidance
• Subscription Management: Managing your subscription details and settings
• Member Management: Team collaboration, invitations, and permissions
• Capacity Management: Understanding and managing your subscription limits
• Free/Paid Subscription Management: Specific guidance by plan type

Finding What You Need

• Use the search box to find topics by keyword or phrase
• Browse categories to explore related topics systematically
• Check 'Quick Navigation' for the most commonly accessed topics

Help Topic Structure

Each help topic includes practical guidance, step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting tips, and important alerts to help you succeed.

About Subscription Plans

This page provides a detailed comparison of all available SimplePIA subscription tiers. Each plan is designed to meet different organizational needs, from individual users to large enterprises.

Subscription Tiers Overview

• Free: Perfect for individuals getting started with privacy management
• Pro: Ideal for small businesses and privacy professionals
• Team: Designed for growing organizations with collaboration needs
• Enterprise: Built for large organizations with advanced security requirements

Key Features by Category

• Cost: Compare pricing, trial options, and AI feature costs across all tiers
• Core: Essential PIA management features, storage limits, and retention policies
• Collaboration: Team features, sharing capabilities, and AI assistance
• Administration: User management, billing cycles, and custom terms
• Security: Compliance features, data protection, and hosting options
• Support: Help desk levels, consulting services, and SLA coverage

Understanding Plan Limits

• Free: 5 PIAs stored, 1 new PIA per month, 1-2 team members
• Pro: 50 PIAs stored, 5 new PIAs per month, up to 5 team members
• Team: 200 PIAs stored, 20 new PIAs per month, up to 20 team members
• Enterprise: 1000 PIAs stored, 100 new PIAs per month, up to 50 team members

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Features Timeline

• Advanced PIA authoring (AI assisted): Expected Winter 2025 for Pro, Team, and Enterprise
• Headstart Privacy Analysis (AI assisted): Expected Spring 2026 for Team and Enterprise
• Both AI features will be available for additional cost beyond base subscription
• AI content must be reviewed and approved by qualified professionals

Choosing the Right Plan

1. Assess your team size and collaboration needs
2. Consider your PIA volume requirements and retention needs
3. Review security and compliance requirements
4. Evaluate support needs and budget constraints
5. Take advantage of the Free plan to explore the system before committing to a paid plan

Understanding the Comparison Table

The feature comparison table shows exactly what's included in each plan. Green checkmarks indicate included features, colored badges show limits or special terms, and dashes indicate features not available in that tier. Pay attention to footnotes for important details about features and limitations.

Trial Periods and Migration

• Free plan has no end date
• Pro plan includes a 14-day free trial
• Team and Enterprise plans do not offer a trial period
• You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time
• All your data and PIAs are preserved when changing plans
• Paid yearly subscriptions can increase PIA storage for additional cost

Security and Compliance

• Data encryption at-rest and in-transit across all tiers
• SOC 2 Type II & ISO 27001:2013 compliant hosting
• Canadian data storage (except payment information stored in US)

About Subscription Selection

This page allows you to choose and activate a subscription plan that best fits your privacy management needs. You can select either the free plan or choose from our paid options with enhanced features.

Free Plan

• Perfect for individuals getting started with privacy management
• Up to 5 Privacy Impact Assessments
• Single user with option to invite 1 team member (two people can share one free subscription)
• Self-service support through help documentation
• Instant activation - no payment required

Paid Plans (Stripe Integration)

• Pro, Team, and Enterprise tiers with enhanced features
• Free trial period for Pro available (14 days)
• Team collaboration and sharing capabilities
• Tiered PIA storage amounts with no retention limits
• Priority support and additional features
• Secure payment processing through Stripe

How to Select a Plan

1. Review the features listed for the Free Plan
2. Browse the paid plan options in the Stripe pricing table
3. Click 'Free Subscription' for the free plan or select a paid plan from the table
4. For paid plans, you'll be redirected to Stripe's secure checkout
5. After payment, you'll be redirected back to the confirmation page

Payment and Security

All paid subscriptions are processed securely through Stripe, a leading payment processor. Your payment information is never stored on our servers. Stripe handles all billing, including recurring charges and invoice management.

After Selection

• Free plans are activated immediately upon selection
• Paid plans require payment processing (typically 1-3 minutes)
• You'll receive confirmation emails for paid subscriptions
• Your new subscription will appear in your subscription list page

Getting Additional Support

If you can't find the answer you're looking for in the Help Center, our support team is available to assist you with more complex questions or account-specific issues. Support options vary by subscription tier.

Support Levels by Subscription Tier

• Self-service (Free): includes access to online help guides and FAQs
• Standard (Pro): includes self-service plus email support with an initial response time within 3 business days
• Priority (Team): includes self-service plus email support with an initial response time within 2 business days
• Priority+ (Enterprise): includes self-service plus email support with an initial response time within 1 business day

Support Hours

Support is available weekdays Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm Canada Pacific Time, excluding holidays.

How to Contact Support

• Search the Help Center first - most questions can be answered here
• Use your subscription's billing portal for payment and account issues
• All requests for support must be initiated through the Request Support form available to subscription owners and their delegates
• Regular members should direct requests for assistance to the subscription owner or delegate

What to Include in the Request Support form

• A clear description of the issue or question
• Steps you've already tried to resolve the problem
• Copies of error messages if applicable
• Note: the form will automatically collect additional information about your subscription to assist with responding to the support request