How should organizations dispose of archived data securely and legally?

Secure and compliant data disposal

Disposing of archived data must be controlled, documented, and compliant with retention rules. Secure disposal reduces risk exposure and can help control storage costs.

Disposal process elements:

• Verify retention expiry and absence of legal holds.
• Approve deletion through designated data owners.
• Use secure deletion methods or certified destruction for media.
• Document the disposal action with timestamps, approver identity, and object lists.

For regulated data, keep disposal records as part of the audit trail. Automate end-of-life actions where possible to minimize manual errors, and include safeguards for accidental deletion or premature disposal.