{"id":13934,"date":"2026-09-14T09:33:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=13934"},"modified":"2026-09-14T09:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:33:09","slug":"website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/","title":{"rendered":"Website and Email Backup Retention Policies: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Legal-Hold Copies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A backup retention policy defines how long mybox keeps copies of website files, databases, configurations, and mailboxes, and when older copies are removed. The goal is to balance recovery flexibility with storage cost, protection of sensitive data, ransomware exposure, and regulatory or contractual retention needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A backup is a copy of website, database, email, or hosting data stored outside the live hosting environment. It can support recovery, but it may also contain sensitive information that needs protection. <a href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/knowledgebase\/why-downloaded-backups-should-be-stored-securely\/\">Downloaded backups should be stored securely<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/#What_a_retention_policy_should_decide\" >What a retention policy should decide<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/#How_common_rotation_models_work\" >How common rotation models work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/#How_to_choose_daily_weekly_or_monthly_retention\" >How to choose daily, weekly, or monthly retention<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/#When_to_use_protected_copies\" >When to use protected copies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/#Retention_archiving_and_journaling_are_different\" >Retention, archiving, and journaling are different<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/website-and-email-backup-retention-policies-daily-weekly-monthly-and-legal-hold-copies\/#A_practical_policy_structure\" >A practical policy structure<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_a_retention_policy_should_decide\"><\/span>What a retention policy should decide<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-930641449\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A useful policy answers four separate questions for each type of data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How often is a backup created?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How many recent copies are kept?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How far back should recovery remain possible?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which copies must be protected from normal deletion or change?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apply these decisions to website files, databases, configurations, and mailboxes. They do not all need the same retention period. For example, a database or mailbox may need more recovery points than a configuration that changes less often. The policy should record the chosen schedule for each data type instead of treating every backup as identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_common_rotation_models_work\"><\/span>How common rotation models work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Model<\/th><th>How it works<\/th><th>When it fits<\/th><th>Main trade-off<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Daily rotation<\/td><td>Keep recent daily copies and remove older daily copies according to a defined limit.<\/td><td>Useful when recent changes need to be recoverable and the business can work with a shorter history.<\/td><td>Provides recent recovery points, but keeping every daily copy for a long period increases storage use.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Weekly rotation<\/td><td>Keep selected weekly copies to maintain a longer view without retaining every day.<\/td><td>Useful when older recovery points matter but daily detail is less important.<\/td><td>Uses less storage than keeping all daily copies, but some changes between weekly copies may not be available.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Monthly rotation<\/td><td>Keep selected monthly copies as a longer-term history.<\/td><td>Useful when the business needs older reference points or a longer recovery window.<\/td><td>Reduces the number of retained copies compared with daily storage, but gives fewer recovery points for older periods.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Legal-hold copy<\/td><td>Protect a specified copy from normal rotation and deletion for a defined reason and period.<\/td><td>Useful when a regulatory or contractual requirement applies, or when records must be preserved for a business matter.<\/td><td>Protected copies continue to consume storage and require clear ownership and release rules.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These models can be combined. A policy may keep recent daily copies, selected weekly copies, selected monthly copies, and separate legal-hold copies. The important point is to define which copies are part of normal rotation and which copies are excluded from automatic deletion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_choose_daily_weekly_or_monthly_retention\"><\/span>How to choose daily, weekly, or monthly retention<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Start with the recovery period the business needs. If recovering a recent version is the main concern, give priority to daily copies. If the business may need to return to an older point in time, add weekly or monthly copies rather than keeping every daily copy indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next, consider how often each data type changes. Website files, databases, configurations, and mailboxes can have different change patterns. A retention policy that uses one rule for all four may keep unnecessary copies of slow-changing data while keeping too few useful copies of frequently changing data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Storage cost is also part of the decision. Retaining more copies creates more stored data. Storage audits can identify what is consuming space and help reclaim it safely. Running out of storage can cause missed emails, failed backups, application issues, and other unexpected problems. <a href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/\">A storage audit can help identify space use and safely reclaim capacity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_to_use_protected_copies\"><\/span>When to use protected copies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A protected copy should be separate from normal rotation when ordinary cleanup must not remove it. This applies to legal-hold copies and may also apply to a business-defined recovery milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Record the reason, creation date, data covered, person or team responsible, and release condition for each protected copy. Without these details, a legal hold can become an unmanaged collection of old backups. Keep the copy protected for the required period, then review whether the hold has ended before allowing normal deletion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Security matters for every retained copy. A downloaded backup can include website, database, email, or hosting data, and therefore may contain sensitive information. <a href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/knowledgebase\/why-downloaded-backups-should-be-stored-securely\/\">Backups stored outside the hosting environment should be protected from exposure<\/a>. Longer retention increases the number of copies that need this protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Retention_archiving_and_journaling_are_different\"><\/span>Retention, archiving, and journaling are different<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Term<\/th><th>Meaning in a policy<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Backup retention<\/td><td>Keeping recovery copies for a defined period and removing them through a rotation rule when that period ends.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Archiving<\/td><td>Keeping selected data for longer-term reference or preservation instead of treating it as a routine recovery copy.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Journaling<\/td><td>Capturing a continuing record of messages or activity so that the record can be preserved separately from ordinary mailbox backups.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A backup is designed for recovery. An archive or journal serves a different preservation purpose. Keeping more backups does not automatically turn them into an archive or a journal. Define these functions separately in the policy, including who may access preserved data and when it may be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_practical_policy_structure\"><\/span>A practical policy structure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>List the data covered: website files, databases, configurations, and mailboxes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assign a daily, weekly, or monthly rotation to each data type.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set the number of recent copies and the older recovery points to keep.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mark copies that must be protected from normal deletion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Record regulatory, contractual, or business reasons for longer retention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review storage use and the security of stored or downloaded backups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review the policy when data needs, storage conditions, or preservation requirements change.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 3-2-1 rule provides a separate way to think about backup resilience: it defines how many copies to have, where they should be stored, and why distribution matters. It complements retention but does not replace it. <a href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/knowledgebase\/backup-3-2-1-rule\/\">The 3-2-1 rule is based on having a backup that works when it is needed and distributing copies across locations or storage types<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25],"manual_kb_tag":[],"class_list":["post-13934","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/13934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/13934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13935,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/13934\/revisions\/13935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=13934"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=13934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}