Managing Data Lifecycle & Protection Policies

Managing data lifecycle and protection policies is essential to SecureCart’s data governance strategy. AWS provides tools to automate data retention, enforce security policies, optimize costs, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

✔ Why does SecureCart focus on Data Lifecycle & Protection?

• Ensures that data is stored securely and for the appropriate duration.

• Prevents data loss and unauthorized access.

• Optimizes storage costs by moving data to lower-cost tiers.

• Maintains compliance with GDPR, PCI DSS, and HIPAA regulations.

---

🔹 Step 1: Understanding Data Lifecycle Management

✔ What is Data Lifecycle Management? – It defines the process of storing, managing, and deleting data over time based on business and compliance needs.

A. Key Phases of Data Lifecycle Management

Phase	Description	SecureCart Use Case
Creation	Data is generated and ingested into AWS.	Customers place orders that get stored in Amazon RDS and DynamoDB.
Usage	Data is actively used by applications and services.	SecureCart retrieves order history for customers.
Retention	Data is kept for a specific period based on compliance needs.	SecureCart retains customer invoices for 7 years.
Archival	Data is moved to lower-cost storage tiers when rarely accessed.	SecureCart archives old logs to Amazon S3 Glacier.
Deletion	Data is securely deleted when no longer needed.	SecureCart removes expired session data from DynamoDB.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Define retention policies for different data types. ✔ Use automated lifecycle policies to transition data to cost-effective storage tiers. ✔ Implement secure deletion processes to prevent data exposure.

---

🔹 Step 2: Automating Data Lifecycle with AWS Services

✔ Why? – Automating lifecycle management reduces manual overhead, enforces policies, and optimizes storage costs.

AWS Service	Lifecycle Feature	Use Case in SecureCart
Amazon S3	Lifecycle Policies	Moves customer invoices to Glacier after 1 year.
Amazon RDS	Backup Retention	Retains database snapshots for 7 days.
Amazon DynamoDB	Time-to-Live (TTL)	Deletes expired session data after 30 days.
Amazon EBS	Snapshot Lifecycle Manager	Automates snapshot retention for backend servers.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use Amazon S3 Lifecycle Policies to transition data automatically. ✔ Implement DynamoDB TTL to delete old session data without manual intervention. ✔ Configure EBS Snapshot Lifecycle Policies to automate backup expiration.

---

🔹 Step 3: Implementing Data Protection Policies

✔ Why? – Protection policies ensure that data remains secure, compliant, and recoverable.

A. IAM & Resource-Based Access Controls

Policy Type	Use Case
IAM Policies	Restricts developer access to customer order data.
Resource Policies	Prevents unauthorized access to S3 buckets.
Service Control Policies (SCPs)	Blocks deletion of security logs in production accounts.

B. Data Encryption Policies

✔ Why? – Ensures that all sensitive data is encrypted at rest and in transit.

AWS Encryption Method	Use Case in SecureCart
AWS KMS (Key Management Service)	Encrypts RDS databases and S3 buckets.
S3 Default Encryption	Ensures all uploads are automatically encrypted.
TLS Encryption (ACM)	Protects API and frontend communication.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Apply IAM permissions carefully to prevent unauthorized data access. ✔ Enable default encryption on all storage services. ✔ Rotate encryption keys periodically using AWS KMS.

---

🔹 Step 4: Data Retention & Compliance Enforcement

✔ Why? – Compliance regulations require SecureCart to retain data for a set period and enforce security policies.

Compliance Standard	Retention Requirement	AWS Service Used
PCI DSS	Retain payment data for up to 5 years.	Amazon RDS, S3 Lifecycle.
GDPR	Delete customer data upon request.	AWS Data Lifecycle Management.
HIPAA	Encrypt patient data and retain for 7 years.	AWS KMS, IAM Policies.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Define retention policies that align with regulatory requirements. ✔ Implement data deletion policies for GDPR compliance. ✔ Use AWS Config and Security Hub to detect non-compliance.

---

🔹 Step 5: Securing Data Deletion & Archival

✔ Why? – Proper data deletion ensures compliance and prevents data exposure.

Deletion Method	Use Case in SecureCart
Amazon S3 Object Expiration	Deletes old invoices automatically after 7 years.
DynamoDB TTL	Removes expired session data after 30 days.
KMS Key Deletion	Ensures permanent removal of archived encryption keys.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Configure S3 Object Expiration to remove stale data automatically. ✔ Use DynamoDB TTL to auto-delete session-based records. ✔ Implement IAM restrictions on data deletions to prevent accidental loss.

---

🔹 Step 6: Monitoring & Auditing Data Lifecycle Policies

✔ Why? – Continuous monitoring ensures SecureCart’s data lifecycle policies are followed and enforced.

AWS Service	Purpose	Use Case in SecureCart
AWS CloudTrail	Logs all API actions.	Detects unauthorized changes to data retention settings.
AWS Config	Monitors policy compliance.	Ensures S3 buckets have lifecycle policies enabled.
Amazon Macie	Identifies sensitive data exposure.	Finds unencrypted customer data in S3.
AWS Security Hub	Centralizes security monitoring.	Tracks violations of compliance rules.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Enable CloudTrail to track all API and data access actions. ✔ Use AWS Config to automatically enforce compliance rules. ✔ Monitor sensitive data with Amazon Macie.

---

🚀 Summary

✔ Implement S3 Lifecycle, RDS backup retention, and DynamoDB TTL for automated data lifecycle management. ✔ Apply IAM & Resource Policies to control data access and encryption policies for data protection. ✔ Ensure compliance with GDPR, PCI DSS, and HIPAA using AWS Config and Security Hub. ✔ Use S3 Object Expiration, KMS Key Deletion, and DynamoDB TTL for secure data deletion. ✔ Monitor and audit data lifecycle policies with AWS CloudTrail, Config, and Macie.

Scenario:

SecureCart must implement efficient data lifecycle policies to optimize cost and security while ensuring long-term data protection.

Key Learning Objectives:

✅ Implement S3 Lifecycle Rules for Cost Optimization ✅ Use Amazon Glacier for Long-Term Data Archival ✅ Apply IAM Conditions to Enforce Data Access Policies ✅ Automate data lifecycle transitions using AWS services

Hands-on Labs:

1️⃣ Set Up S3 Lifecycle Rules to Transition Data to Glacier 2️⃣ Apply IAM Conditions to Control Access to Old Data 3️⃣ Configure AWS Backup Lifecycle Policies

🔹 Outcome: SecureCart optimizes data storage while maintaining compliance and security.