Data retention
Control how long Sign In keeps login records, session history, and device data. Enforced per Sign-In Context.
Sign In stores data about every login — who signed in, through which module, on which device, when. Data retention controls how long that data is kept before being deleted. Configure it under Administration → Compliance in the Context admin.
Retention matters for three reasons:
- Legal and regulatory — some jurisdictions require specific retention windows (minimum or maximum) for network access records.
- Privacy — guests prefer their data to be held for as short a window as the venue actually needs.
- Storage costs — longer retention means more data to carry.
What data is covered
Section titled “What data is covered”Retention applies to records tied to guest sign-ins:
- Login records (per sign-in event).
- Session data (start, end, duration, device identifiers).
- Per-module metadata (email addresses, phone numbers, SAML attributes captured at sign-in).
- DHCP audit logs associated with sign-in sessions.
- Conference records and whitelisted device entries.
Aggregated statistics (counts, dashboards) are computed from this data while it exists; after retention expires, the underlying records are removed.
Note
Configuration data — module settings, Access Policies, Look & Feel — is not subject to retention. It’s kept for as long as the Context exists.
How “active” is defined, per user type
Section titled “How “active” is defined, per user type”Retention deletes records whose users have been inactive for longer than the configured window. What “inactive” means depends on the user type:
| User type | Considered active while… |
|---|---|
| Self-Service (Email) user | They have at least one associated login. |
| Meeting Host | They have at least one pending or active guest request linked. |
| RADIUS user | A session is associated with their credentials. |
| SMS user | Their phone number is linked to a login. |
| SAML user | Their identity has at least one active login. |
| Username & Password user | Their account has at least one associated login. |
As soon as a user no longer has the relevant associated activity inside the retention window, they — and their dependent records — become candidates for deletion on the next retention cycle.
Warning
Shortening retention can delete a large amount of data. When you shorten the retention window, every record that falls outside the new window is deleted on the next retention cycle. Plan retention changes with your compliance and operations teams before saving.
Configuring the retention window
Section titled “Configuring the retention window”Open Administration → Compliance → Retention Settings to set the window. Pick a duration that matches your legal obligations and your venue’s data-minimization approach.
Changes take effect going forward. Records older than the new window are scheduled for deletion on the next retention cycle.
Interaction with GDPR data requests
Section titled “Interaction with GDPR data requests”Retention defines the maximum time data is kept. A guest exercising GDPR rights can request earlier deletion — see GDPR data search.
Coordinating retention across features
Section titled “Coordinating retention across features”Retention is configured per Context, not per Organization. If an Organization has multiple Contexts, they can have different retention policies — for example, a conference Context might hold data for 30 days while a staff Context holds data for a year.
Coordinate retention with:
- Terms and conditions — tell guests what you keep and for how long.
- Organization Audit — admin audit records may have their own retention separate from guest data.