How long should security logs about employee devices be kept?
As long as you need them for security and any legal duty, and no longer: the GDPRGDPR: General Data Protection Regulation. The EU data protection law (Regulation (EU) 2016/679).'s storage-limitation principle requires a defined period, not keeping records just in case. There is no single EU number for network security logs, so set one yourself and write down why. Common reasons for a longer period are investigating incidents that are found late, answering auditors, insurers and authorities, and sector or national rules that ask for records; reasons for a shorter one are that the logs relate to identifiable employees and that less data means less to protect. Many companies choose a period of months for alerts and longer for incident records and decisions. NetSenX's alert history and audit-log retention depend on the plan; the pricing page lists both.
General information, not legal advice. National laws can add to the EU texts quoted here, for example deadlines, forms or reporting channels: check your own country's rules.
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Terms used here
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
- The EU data protection law (Regulation (EU) 2016/679).