Which data retention policy addresses how long data must be retained to meet regulatory requirements?

Retention periods define how long data must be stored to meet regulatory and compliance requirements. Managing Cloud guidance explains that laws and regulations often mandate minimum or maximum retention durations for specific types of data, such as financial records, health information, or audit logs.

A retention period policy ensures that data is kept for the required timeframe and securely disposed of once it is no longer needed. This helps organizations avoid legal penalties, reduce storage costs, and minimize risk exposure from retaining data longer than necessary.

The other options address different aspects of data management. Formats define how data is stored, classification categorizes data sensitivity, and retrieval focuses on access methods. None specify duration. Therefore, retention periods are the correct policy element.