The data life cycle refers to a process that describes how data is collected, processed, used, archived and deleted over time. It comprises the following steps:
- Collection: Data is collected from various sources, including transactions, records and online forms.
- Storage: The collected data is stored.
- Processing: The data is analysed and used for activities such as decision-making, data analysis and marketing.
- Archiving: The data is archived for future use or to meet regulatory obligations.
- Deletion: Unnecessary data is deleted to prevent data breaches and reduce storage costs.
The data life cycle is an ever-evolving process, and companies must ensure that they take the appropriate security measures to protect their data at every stage. It is indeed important to delete data when it is no longer useful and when its legal retention period has expired. This also applies to archives, backups and emails.
