# CIS 3.1 — Establish and Maintain a Data Management Process

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/a_gen_cis_31_0f167170dc-cis-31-establish-and-maintain-a-data-management-process
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [AWS Checks New Version](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000112673) › [Identify](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/f_gen_62000112673_identify)
- Last updated: 2026-05-30
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

CIS · Control 3.1 · Priority: critical · Component: Identify

### What this control covers

Establish and maintain a data management process. In the process, address data sensitivity, data owner, handling of data, data retention limits, and disposal requirements, based on sensitivity and retention standards for the enterprise. Review and update documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could impact this Safeguard.

### Why it matters

Risk is the language an executive team understands; this control connects technical reality to board-level decisions and budget allocation.

### How to implement

#### AWS

Codify the policy intent as **SCPs, AWS Config conformance packs, and Security Hub standards** so the cloud enforces what the document says.

#### Azure

Codify in **Azure Policy initiatives** (built-in regulatory compliance for CIS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA) and assign at management-group level.

#### GCP

**VM Manager** (OS patch + config management) and **Artifact Registry vulnerability scanning** integrate with Cloud Build to block vulnerable images.

#### GitHub

**Dependabot** security updates + version updates, plus **CodeQL** for SAST and a renovate bot for major-version drift management.

#### On-premises

Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.

### Evidence to collect

-   `policy_document` — A signed, version-controlled policy stating leadership intent and the named owner.
-   `infra_scan` — See the iCompaas Evidence library for the canonical source for this evidence type.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Establish and Maintain a Data Management Process.

### Quick checklist

-   Establish And Maintain — Data Management Process / Data Retention
-   Address — Data Management Process / Data Retention

### Related articles on this site

-   [Data Retention & Destruction](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000225143-data-retention-destruction)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.3.4 Alert in the event of an audit logging process failure.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229274-nist-800-171-3-3-4-alert-in-the-event-of-an-audit-logging-process-failure-)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.3.9 Limit management of audit logging functionality to a subset of privileged users.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229279-nist-800-171-3-3-9-limit-management-of-audit-logging-functionality-to-a-subset-of-privileged-users-)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.4.1 Establish and maintain baseline configurations and inventories of organizational systems (including hardware, software, firmware, and documentation) throughout the respective system development life cycles.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229280-nist-800-171-3-4-1-establish-and-maintain-baseline-configurations-and-inventories-of-organizational-s)

## 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.