Explain like I'm five · Security

What is Data Retention?

Data retention, told as a story about deciding, for every paper, how long to keep it and when to burn it.

the storeroom overflowsguest list, 30 yrs agodo we still need this? nobody knowsto a thief, all of it is treasurewhat you never throw away, you must keep guarding

Paper only piles up. Even the guest list from 30 years ago.What you never throw away, you must keep guarding. To a thief, an old guest list is as much treasure as a red-stamped paper.

keep too longa thief has more to takewhere's last year's ledger?throw away too soonnothing to show the tax inspectorneither too long nor too soon — every paper needs a date

Neither too long, nor too soon.Keep it too long and a thief has more to take; burn it too soon and there's nothing to show the tax inspector. So every paper needs a date.

HOW LONG WE KEEP IThow longthenmarket notice1 moguest list1 yrtax ledger7 yrsgate key drawingwhile in use7ywrite the date the day the paper is bornwhen the day comes, burn it — even if you're fond of it, even if you forgot

Data retention is deciding every paper's burning day in advance.The day a paper is born, write how long it stays. A month for a market notice, seven years for the tax ledger. When the day comes, burn it — even if you're fond of it, even if you forgot.

Date it at birthlater, nobody remembers
As long as the law saysseven years for tax
Burn on the dayeven if you're fond of it
Copies toothe spare chest copy as well
todayburning daygreen: the binblue: tearred: burnthe spare chest copy toohow it goes depends on the stampthe copy in the spare chest goes too — or it was never really gone

How it goes depends on the stamp.Green to the bin, blue torn, red burned. The copy in the spare chest goes too — or it was never really gone.

the inspectorshow me the tax ledger from 3 years agotax ledgerhere it isguest list from 30 yrs ago?— gone, we burned itso no thief can take itwhat should be there is there; what shouldn't, isn't

What should be there is there; what shouldn't, isn't.When the inspector asks, it's there to show; when a thief comes, the old lists are gone. Fewer papers to guard means guarding gets easier.

In one breath

Data retention = decide how long each paper stays the day it's born, and burn it — copies too — when the day comes. What should be there is; what shouldn't, isn't.

A policy that sets how long each kind of data is kept — as long as the law requires, no longer — then securely disposes of it, backups included. The less you keep, the less a breach can take.

When grown-ups say it

Retention policy
The how-long table. How long each kind of paper stays. Pairs with the stamp color.
Retention period
Days until burning day. A month, a year, seven years, while in use.
Legal hold / statutory retention
As long as the law says. Some things, like a tax ledger for seven years, the law says to keep. A lawsuit pauses burning day.
Data minimization
Write less to begin with. A paper never written needs no guarding and no burning.
Secure disposal
Tearing and burning. The bin and the fire are not the same. → a colored stamp on every paper
Backup copies
The spare chest copy too. Burning only the original means it isn't gone. → the spare chest far away
Audit
The inspector's visit. "Show me the ledger from three years ago" — it has to be there. → the inspector from the neighboring kingdom
Breach blast radius
How much a thief could take. A burned paper can't be stolen. Keep less, lose less.
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