RetentionPolicies

Retention policies are formal rules that govern how an organization creates, stores, classifies, retains, and disposes of records and data. The objective is to balance the need to preserve information for legal, regulatory, operational, and historical purposes with the risks and costs of keeping data longer than necessary.

A retention policy typically specifies the data types covered (emails, documents, databases, backups), the retention period for each type, the location where the data is held, the permissible methods of disposal, and any exemptions. It may also define archival rules for less active data, and establish triggers such as event-based holds or audits. Policies should align with applicable laws and regulatory requirements and reflect organizational governance standards and business needs.

Implementation often relies on classification and tagging, policy engines, and automated workflows that move data to archive storage or delete it at the end of its retention period. Legal holds and compliance reviews can override standard disposal rules. In many organizations, retention schedules are codified in a records management system and reviewed periodically.

Governance aspects include accountability, traceability, and auditing; risk management; and privacy considerations such as data minimization and rights under data protection laws. Retention policies support eDiscovery, audits, and reporting, with metrics like disposition rate and compliance coverage used to measure effectiveness.

Common challenges include data sprawl, inconsistent tagging, and backups that complicate deletion. Best practices emphasize clear ownership, documented retention schedules, test campaigns, and regular review to keep policies current with changing laws and technology.