Enforce data retention policies

Implementing effective data retention policies is crucial for managing data lifecycle and minimizing costs related to storage and resource management. By controlling data retention, organizations can ensure compliance while systematically identifying and terminating resources that are no longer necessary.

Best Practices

Implement Comprehensive Data Retention Policies

• Define clear data retention policies that specify how long different types of data should be kept based on organizational, legal, and regulatory requirements. This ensures compliance and optimizes storage costs.
• Regularly review and update these policies to accommodate changes in regulations or business needs.
• Use automation tools to identify and flag data that meets the criteria for deletion based on these policies, reducing manual effort and minimizing human error.
• Integrate data retention policies into your resource provisioning and decommissioning processes to ensure that resources are decommissioned in a timely manner according to the lifecycle outlined in your policies.
• Conduct regular audits of your resources to identify unnecessary or orphaned data and objects, ensuring prompt action is taken to reclaim costs and improve resource efficiency.

Questions to ask your team

• Have you defined and documented data retention policies for all relevant resources?
• How frequently do you review and update your data retention policies?
• Are there automated processes in place to identify and delete orphaned resources?
• What tools or services are you using to enforce data retention policies?
• Do you have a monitoring mechanism to track resources that are no longer required?
• How do you ensure that data retention policies align with your organization’s compliance requirements?
• Is there a process in place for stakeholders to request exceptions to the data retention policies?
• How often do you conduct audits to ensure compliance with data retention policies?

Who should be doing this?

Cloud Administrator

• Define and implement data retention policies across supported resources.
• Monitor and review data retention settings regularly to ensure compliance.
• Coordinate with teams to identify orphaned or unnecessary resources.
• Facilitate the deletion process for resources and objects that are no longer required.
• Document retention policies and any changes made for audit and compliance purposes.

Data Governance Officer

• Establish organizational data retention policies and ensure they align with compliance regulations.
• Train teams on data retention best practices and policies.
• Review and approve data deletion requests to ensure they meet organizational requirements.
• Maintain communication with Cloud Administrators to ensure clarity on data lifecycle and retention procedures.

Project Manager

• Manage the project lifecycle, including resource allocation and decommissioning phases.
• Ensure that resource decommissioning aligns with project end-of-life processes.
• Oversee the implementation of change control procedures related to resource management.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to communicate timelines and impacts of resource shutdown or termination.

Compliance Officer

• Assess and ensure that data retention policies comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct audits on resource deletions to ensure adherence to retention policies.
• Advise on potential risks associated with orphaned resources and ineffective retention practices.
• Work with the Data Governance Officer to update policies as regulations change.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Data Retention Policy Template: A comprehensive template for organizations to define and implement data retention policies that align with compliance requirements and operational needs, ensuring timely deletion of unnecessary resources.
• Resource Decommissioning Checklist: A checklist that guides teams through the necessary steps to properly decommission resources, including identification of orphaned resources, compliance with data retention policies, and confirmation of resource shutdowns.
• Cost Optimization Report: A monthly report detailing the organization’s resource usage and the effectiveness of decommissioning efforts, highlighting any orphaned resources identified and actions taken to reduce waste.
• Resource Management Dashboard: An interactive dashboard that visualizes resource utilization, allowing teams to track the status of active and orphaned resources, as well as compliance with data retention policies.
• Decommissioning Strategy Guide: A strategic guide for organizations outlining best practices for resource lifecycle management, including decommissioning strategies and the importance of data retention policies.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Config: AWS Config helps you assess, audit and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources, allowing you to manage and identify unused resources to improve cost efficiency.
• Amazon S3 Lifecycle Policies: These policies allow you to automate the deletion of objects in Amazon S3 that are no longer needed according to your data retention policies.
• AWS Resource Groups: AWS Resource Groups can help you manage and identify resources, making it easier to decommission those that are no longer needed.

Azure

• Azure Resource Manager: Azure Resource Manager allows you to manage your resources in a structured way, making it easier to identify and decommission unused resources.
• Azure Policy: Azure Policy helps to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance at-scale, including resource deletion based on retention policies.
• Azure Blob Storage Lifecycle Management: This feature allows you to define data retention policies for blobs and automate the deletion of blobs that are no longer needed.

Google Cloud Platform

• Google Cloud Resource Manager: This service allows you to organize and manage your Google Cloud resources efficiently, facilitating the identification of resources for decommissioning.
• Cloud Storage Object Lifecycle Management: This feature allows you to define rules for automatic deletion of objects based on your specified retention policies.
• Google Cloud Audit Logs: Audit logs provide you with detailed records of operations performed on your resources, helping to identify orphaned resources and those ready for decommissioning.

Question: How do you decommission resources?
Pillar: Cost Optimization (Code: COST)