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How to Configure Retention Policies

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The Retention page in Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud Backup helps you define how long you retain data from your connected sources.

Note that the Policies role must be assigned to create and manage retention policies. See Settings Page for role permissions.

Before you create or assign a retention policy, double-check the policy name, description, and retention duration. Data outside the retention window will be purged automatically and cannot be recovered. If you need to keep data longer, adjust the policy or set it to retain data forever. Always verify the policy is applied to the correct data sources before saving.

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Create a New Retention Policy

View, create, and manage all retention policies on the Retention policies page. The columns show the policy name/description, retention period, and the number of data sources assigned to each policy.

retentionPolicies.png

To create a retention policy:

  1. Log in to https://login.barracudanetworks.com/. If you are not automatically forwarded to the Cloud-to-Cloud Backup application, select Cloud-to-Cloud Backup from the left pane.

  2. Navigate to the Retention page from the side navigation menu.

  3. On the Retention policies page, click Create Policy.

  4. Enter the following details:

    • Policy name

    • Description

    • Retain all data for – Specify the duration in days, weeks, months, or years.
      Alternatively, check the Retain data forever box.

  5. Click Create. The new policy will appear on the Retention policies page and can be assigned to other sources.

Other Actions

  • Click the Retention period card next to the desired retention policy to see policy details.

  • Click the Sources assigned card next to the desired retention policy to see the data sources assigned.

  • Click the three dotsthree-dots.pngnext to the desired retention policy to:

    • Edit – Edit the retention policy details.

    • Delete – Remove the retention policy.

  • The Default retention policy has a 1-year (365 days) retention period and cannot be edited or deleted.

  • A retention policy can be deleted only if it is not assigned to any data source. If assigned, first unlink the policy from the data source, then delete the retention policy from this page.

View Configured Retention Policies

View and configure the data source retention policies on the Backup sources page.

backupSourcesPage.png

  1. Log in to https://login.barracudanetworks.com/. If you are not automatically forwarded to the Cloud-to-Cloud Backup application, select Cloud-to-Cloud Backup from the left pane.

  2. Navigate to the Retention page from the side navigation menu.

  3. On the Backup sources page, click Configure next to the desired data source.

  4. Choose a policy:

    • Select the Default retention policy (1 year) or an existing retention policy, or

    • Click Create new policy to define a new retention policy.

  5. If creating a new policy, enter the following details:

    • Policy name

    • Description

    • Retain all data for – Specify the duration in days, weeks, months, or years.
      Alternatively, check the Retain data forever box.

  6. Click Apply to save.

Tip: The user-created retention policy created here is also visible and manageable on the Retention policies page.

FAQs

Question

Answer

Why would I want to use retention policies?

The less data you store, the lower the risk of exposure during a data breach. By eliminating outdated or unnecessary data, a retention policy minimizes the volume of sensitive information vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Implementing a retention policy is also useful for maintaining compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

As an existing customer, does the retention change for any of my existing backups?

No, pre-existing (previously configured) data sources will not have a retention policy assigned and will continue to retain data forever. Any new data source configurations will have the default retention of 1 year (365 days) automatically applied. You can choose to apply a custom retention policy to data sources.

What is the default retention period?

The default retention period is 1 year (365 days). The default will be applied to any newly configured data source. Previously configured data sources will not have a retention policy assigned and will retain data forever until a retention policy is applied.

What limits are there for retention periods?

Retention periods cannot be set shorter than 30 days. This is to prevent data loss due to accidental misconfiguration or malicious action. There is no limit on how long you can retain data, including keeping the data forever.

When will my data be purged?

When data falls outside of a retention period, Cloud-to-Cloud Backup will automatically schedule the purge of that data within the following week. For example, when you initially apply a retention policy to a data source, it can take up to 7 days for the data outside of the retention window to be purged.

Can I apply retention policies to a subset of a data source (individual users, directories, etc.)?

No, at this time, retention policies can be applied at the data source level only. Applying retention policies to a selected subset of a data source is a planned future enhancement.

What role permissions do I need to access the Policies page to create or manage retention policies?

Access to to the Policies page is limited to users with the Admin or Policies roles only. See Settings Page.

Once my data falls out of the retention period and has been deleted, can I get it back?

No, there is no undo operation for retention purge operations.

Does retention take into account the number of days in a particular month?

No, when setting a retention period in days, weeks, months, or years, these are translated to days as follows:

1 week = 7 days

1 month = 30 days

1 year = 365 days