Data Retention Policy

A data retention policy is a set of guidelines that an organization uses to manage how it stores and gets rid of data. It helps organizations comply with regulations and meet business needs, while also reducing the risk of storing data longer than necessary.

A data retention policy should include:

Data types: What types of data to keep, such as financial, legal, health, or personal data

Retention periods: How long to keep each type of data, based on business needs and regulations

Storage location: Where to store the data, such as on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid storage environment

Access controls: Who can access the data, how they can access it, and when access is granted

Data destruction: How to destroy the data when its retention period ends

Backup storage procedures: How to recover data in the event of loss

A data retention policy is part of an organization's overall data management plan. It's based on the rules of the regulatory body that governs the organization's industry.