A server administrator is implementing a data life-cycle management (DLM) policy. The policy must address all stages of data handling, from creation to final disposition. Which of the following is the primary business driver for the destruction phase of the data life cycle?
To lower operational expenses by migrating aging data to less expensive storage tiers.
To improve data retrieval times and accessibility for end-users.
To ensure data accuracy and consistency upon initial creation.
To mitigate risks associated with data breaches and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
The correct answer is that the primary business driver for the destruction phase of the data life cycle is to mitigate risks and ensure compliance. The destruction phase involves securely and permanently deleting data that is no longer needed and has surpassed its required retention period. Keeping unnecessary data, especially if it is sensitive, creates a significant liability and increases the attack surface for data breaches. Properly destroying this data helps organizations comply with regulations like GDPR and avoids legal and financial penalties. Lowering operational expenses by migrating data describes the archiving phase. Improving data retrieval times relates to the active usage phase. Ensuring data accuracy is a key concern of the data creation phase.