What does Data Lifecycle Management (DLM) do within an organization?

• A. DLM governs data from creation to disposal.
• B. DLM handles data encryption only.
• C. DLM manages network routing.
• D. DLM defines software licensing.

Answer: (A)

Data lifecycle management focuses on handling data across its entire life, from creation to disposal. It involves applying the right controls, retention rules, security measures, and compliance practices at each stage—when data is created, stored, accessed, shared, archived, and eventually deleted. The idea is to keep data accurate, accessible to the right people, and protected, while saving storage costs and meeting legal and regulatory requirements. By treating data as a lifecycle, organizations can decide how long to keep it, where to store it, who may use it, how it should be backed up, and when and how to securely dispose of it when it’s no longer needed.

This isn’t just about encryption, which is a security feature that protects data but doesn’t govern how long data should live or when it should be disposed. It isn’t about routing data on a network, which is a networking function, nor about software licensing, which concerns rights to use software.