Put a data retention policy in place that matches real recordkeeping

A privacy policy tells people how their information is handled. A data retention policy is different because it sets internal rules for your team about what records are kept, for how long, and what should happen when that period ends. That can matter where data sits across email, HR systems, CRMs, finance tools, support platforms and shared drives. Without a clear internal document, businesses often keep information indefinitely or apply inconsistent deletion practices. The work can strengthen your position on the issue in scope, but it cannot account for every operational fact outside the materials provided.

A retention policy will usually map the main categories of records your business holds and set out how long each category is kept, why it is retained, when it should be reviewed, and whether it should then be deleted or archived. It may also cover ownership of the process, exceptions, legal hold situations and links to related privacy procedures. Depending on your business, that could include customer records, employee files, contracts, marketing databases, support tickets and finance records. The document needs to line up with your actual privacy practices, including how information moves through the business.

We usually need a practical overview of the kinds of data and records you hold, where they sit, who uses them and whether different teams already follow different retention habits. That may include website enquiry data, customer account information, HR files, CRM records, supplier details, email records and archived documents. Your data collection points, internal use and third-party sharing arrangements all affect the way this should be drafted, because that affects both the categories that need to be covered and the retention logic that may be appropriate for each one.

Templates can be useful for structure, but they often fall short once a business stores different records across several systems or has different teams handling information in different ways. A generic document may say that data is deleted after a certain period, while the business in reality keeps backups, archived emails or duplicated records elsewhere. That mismatch can create problems if you ever need to explain your retention approach. A tailored document is more likely to reflect how your business actually operates, even though no document alone can solve implementation issues.

No. This service covers legal drafting of the policy and advice on the wording in the document. It does not include configuring software, changing backup settings, deleting legacy records, implementing retention rules inside your systems, or carrying out security remediation work. For example, we can draft a clause dealing with review and deletion triggers, but we do not set up those triggers inside your CRM or cloud storage tools. If you need operational rollout, that would usually involve your internal team or a technical specialist working alongside the legal document.

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