How long should you keep monitoring data? A retention table you can defend
"Keep it forever, it might be useful" is the default in most monitoring deployments, and it is the single easiest thing to fail an audit on. Retention is a decision, not a storage setting.
Start from the question the data answers
Each module exists to answer something. When the answer no longer needs to exist, the data should not either. That gives a defensible starting point for every table:
| Data | Useful for | Suggested retention |
|---|---|---|
| Working time (logon, active, idle) | Payroll accuracy, overtime disputes | One payroll cycle plus the statutory look-back for pay claims |
| Application and website usage | Workload and tooling decisions | 30–90 days in detail, aggregates keep longer |
| Keystroke count | Activity trend only | 30 days |
| Screenshots | Incident review, regulated roles | 14–30 days unless held for a specific investigation |
| File transfer and USB records | Data-loss forensics | 90–180 days |
| Access logs (who saw what) | Accountability of the system itself | One year |
Three rules that make the table hold
- Enforce it in the system, not in a policy. If deletion depends on someone remembering, it does not happen. The retention period should be a setting that deletes automatically.
- Separate legal hold from routine retention. When an investigation is open, that case is exempted explicitly, with an owner and an end date — not by quietly turning off deletion for everyone.
- Write the reason next to the number. "90 days because file-transfer disputes surface within a quarter" survives a change of management. "90 days because that was the default" does not.
What employees should be told
Retention is one of the few monitoring details that reduces anxiety when disclosed: "screenshots are deleted after 30 days" is a fact people can evaluate. The notice should state the period per data type, not just "data may be retained as necessary".
Where iMonitor EAM fits
iMonitor EAM keeps the database on your own server, so retention is a setting you control rather than an agreement with a vendor. Modules can be enabled independently, keystroke activity is counted and not captured, and access to recordings is role-based with an access log.
Product page · Writing the notice
iMonitorSoft — general information, not legal advice. Retention periods must be checked against local employment and data-protection rules.
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