Data Retention Program

Your Data Retention Situation and Challenges

Situation

Data is created every day, and the sheer volume of it means many organizations struggle to manage their data, leading to:

  • Unstructured data sprawl.

  • Difficulties maintaining compliance obligations.

  • Retaining sensitive data unnecessarily.

Because the problem continues to grow over time, many organizations struggle even to identify where the greatest data risks lie.

Data retention is a full-time job that usually receives less than part-time hours, meaning that organizations:

  • Do not have the resources to validate whether the data retention schedule is being followed.

  • Do not have the ability to automate the process.

  • Are directed to retain everything.

Taken together, these factors prevent many organizations from following their own retention schedule.

Challenges

Insight

The best way to resolve the difficulties with building an effective data retention program is to:

  • Identify your retention requirements.

  • Develop a retention schedule and risk profile for your data processes and types.

  • Use the above outputs to determine where the greatest risks lie and plan to reduce them as much as possible.

By focusing on the high-risk areas, you will manage your data retention processes more efficiently.

It’s About Managing Risks

Focus your efforts on the data where the highest risk levels are hiding, and work towards implementing an automated process. Manual efforts will always carry the most risk.

By focusing on the high-risk areas, you won't lose precious time managing data retention.

Deliverables

Clarity is important. Having a firm grasp on what’s expected when you engage us, including objectives and deadlines, is crucial to your success. We like to make things clear so you know what you’re getting.

Data Retention Policy

Successful data retention is closely linked with security governance, compliance, and data classification. Without these guardrails, most organizations struggle to establish a reliable data retention schedule.

Data Retention Schedule

A retention schedule is necessary, but having one won’t ensure retention-related risks are managed effectively. Rather, the key lies in identifying risky data processes, types, and repositories, and finding solutions to lower those risks.

Data Retention Risks

Focus your efforts on data with the highest risk levels, and work towards implementing an automated process; manual efforts will always carry the most risk.

Data Retention RACI

Some manual deletion should be expected. Very few retention programs run on automation alone. Manual deletion is manageable provided we have a plan to deal with it.

Contact us.

Analytics is a journey, not a destination. This journey can eventually result in some level of sophisticated AI/machine learning in your organization. Every organization needs to mobilize its resources and enhance its analytics capabilities to quickly and incrementally add value to data products and services. Let Incept help you mobilize your resources in this way.