Why Every Small Business Needs a Data Retention Policy (Before It's Too Late)

In today’s digital world, small businesses collect massive amounts of data—emails, invoices, contracts, client information, logs, and more. But how long should you keep it? Where should it be stored? What happens in a breach or audit?

If you don’t have a data retention policy, the answer could cost you—both financially and legally.

What Is a Data Retention Policy?

A data retention policy defines how long your business stores data and when it should be archived or deleted. It’s not just a best practice—it’s often a legal requirement depending on your industry.

Why It Matters

1. Regulatory Compliance Retention guidelines are built into standards like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIST, and even IRS rules. Keeping data too long—or deleting it too soon—can expose your business to legal and financial risk.

2. Security & Backup Efficiency A well-structured policy ensures you only back up necessary data. That reduces storage costs and makes recovery faster.

3. Faster Recovery, Lower Liability Organized backups mean quicker disaster recovery and less downtime after ransomware, accidental deletions, or hardware failures.

4. Legal Protection Defined retention periods can protect your business in audits, legal disputes, or regulatory reviews. No more scrambling for missing emails or deleted logs.

How to Get Started

Here’s a simple three-step plan:

• Audit Your Data – What do you collect, and where does it live?

• Categorize – Define retention timelines by data type (financial, customer, HR, logs, etc.).

• Automate – Use tools or a managed service (like ours) to enforce your policy consistently.

✅ A proactive retention policy helps your business stay clean, lean, and protected.

Next Step: Get a Free Retention Review

Let the experts at Computer Solutions help you build or refine your data retention policy. Our network and compliance specialists will guide you through best practices tailored to your business.

📞 Call (276) 783-5500 📬 PO Box 1541, Marion, VA 24354 🌐 www.marioncs.com