Answer guide · Data protection

Data retention and destruction: how to answer it in a security questionnaire

Usually asked as: “Describe your data retention and destruction policies.”

Updated

What the buyer is really asking

How long do you keep the buyer's data, what happens to it when the contract ends, and do backups follow the same rules? Many buyers paste your answer straight into the DPA, so be exact.

Other ways buyers ask it

Every one of these wants the same answer:

  • “What is your data retention policy?”
  • “What happens to our data when the contract ends?”
  • “How long are backups retained?”
  • “Can you certify deletion of our data?”

Evidence to have ready

  • A data retention and disposal policy
  • Backup retention settings
  • The deletion process at contract termination and any certificate you provide

How Tyrvar answers this

Tyrvar treats every wording above as one question. You write the answer once, attach the evidence, and revisit it when your setup changes. Each buyer gets that approved answer no matter how their questionnaire words it. If you have not answered it yet, Tyrvar flags the question for you and does not make something up. Try it on your own questionnaire.

Related data protection questions

All data protection questions

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