Automatic Data Deletion Policy

Overview and policy scope

Penneo provides an automatic data deletion feature that allows administrators to set the number of days, months, or years after which case files are automatically moved to the recycle bin. This setting applies to all case files within the company account, regardless of the user who created them. Implementing these account-wide policies makes it easier to comply with the legal requirements your company is subject to and aligns with internal security policies.

Administrators and users can still manually delete case files even after the automatic data deletion option is enabled. Because users without administrator rights cannot view company settings, administrators must notify users when changing account-wide settings to prevent unexpected data loss.

Auto-deletion rules by case file status

Automatic deletion in Penneo affects case files individually based on their specific status and activity:

• Concepts: Auto-deleted based on their creation date or the date of their last update.
• Finalised case files: Auto-deleted based on their finalisation date or their last update, whichever is later. Restoring a deleted case file updates its ‘last update’ timestamp, preventing it from being deleted immediately again. For example, if auto-deletion is set to 30 days, a restored case file will be auto-deleted 30 days after the restoration date unless it is updated again.
• Expired or rejected case files: Auto-deleted based on the date of their last update.
• Pending or scheduled case files: These files are never subject to automatic deletion.

In a typical scenario, finalised case files might be moved to the recycle bin after 30 days and then permanently removed from the system after another 30 days.

Configuring automatic data handling

To set up the automatic deletion of case files, follow these steps in the Penneo interface:

1. Click on Configure on the left side menu, and then select Company.
2. Scroll down to the Data Handling section.
3. Enable the automatic data deletion option by check-marking the box. Once enabled, set the number of days, months, or years after which finalised case files should move to the recycle bin.
4. Enable the Empty recycle bin automatically option by check-marking the box. Set the duration after which case files in the recycle bin will be permanently deleted.

Permanent deletion affects case files one by one based on the moment they arrived in the recycle bin from the archive. It is still possible to permanently delete case files manually from the recycle bin before the scheduled automatic deletion date.

Managing the recycle bin

The Recycle Bin is located on the left side menu of the Penneo dashboard. Within the recycle bin, users can view exactly when each case file was deleted. This visibility helps track the retention period before the ‘Empty recycle bin automatically’ setting triggers permanent removal.