# CIS Controls v8 3.4 — Enforce Data Retention - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-4-enforce-data-retention - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 3 — Data Protection - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **CIS Controls v8**·Control `3.4`·critical·Component: **Protect** ## What this control requires > Retain data according to the enterprise's data management process. Data retention must include both minimum and maximum timelines. > > — CIS Controls v8, Control 3.4 ### In plain English Retain data according to the enterprise's data management process. In practice, this means you can prove you enforce data management process-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters The CIS Controls are an industry-vetted, prioritised defence: skipping a safeguard widens the attack surface that the safeguards above and below it assume is closed. Audit frameworks (FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA) all cite CIS as evidence of due care. This control is rated **critical** in the source catalogue. Treat gaps here as production incidents in the risk register, not housekeeping. ## What an auditor looks for A CIS-aligned reviewer wants to see (a) which Implementation Group you are targeting, (b) a documented owner for the safeguard, and (c) a tooling or process artefact (config, scan output, ticket) that proves the safeguard runs on the cadence the control demands. Within **Protect**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 3.4) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Enforce.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protect.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** data management process, data retention, maximum timelines, enterprise. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Enforce Data Retention. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) P8.1** — Inquiry and Complaint Management Process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/p8-1-inquiry-and-complaint-management-process) - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(B)** — Security Management Process - Risk Management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-1-ii-b-security-management-process-risk-management) - [**BSI C5:2020 HR-02** — Employment terms and conditions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/hr-02-employment-terms-and-conditions) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.5** — Contact with authorities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-5-contact-with-authorities) ## Related controls in CIS Controls v8 - [**Control 3.5** — Securely Dispose of Data](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-5-securely-dispose-of-data) - [**Control 3.1** — Establish and Maintain a Data Management Process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-1-establish-and-maintain-a-data-management-process) - [**Control 7.1** — Establish and Maintain a Vulnerability Management Process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/7-1-establish-and-maintain-a-vulnerability-management-process) - [**Control 8.1** — Establish and Maintain an Audit Log Management Process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/8-1-establish-and-maintain-an-audit-log-management-process) - [**Control 3.2** — Establish and Maintain a Data Inventory](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-2-establish-and-maintain-a-data-inventory) - [**Control 3.8** — Document Data Flows](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-8-document-data-flows) ## References - [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8) - Catalogue identifier: `Control 3.4` Topics: governance risklogging retentionpolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them. - [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.