# Backup and retention

Backup cadence and retention windows.

This policy explains Cortena's backup approach and retention periods at a high level.

## 1. Purpose

To support service reliability and recovery while limiting retention of data.

## 2. Scope

Applies to production backups of databases and file/object storage.

## 3. Backup approach (high level)

- Backups are maintained for core data stores used by the service.
- Backup storage is protected with access controls and encryption where applicable.
- Backup access follows the [Access control](https://help.cortena.ai/compliance/access-control) policy.

## 4. Retention

Backups and logs are retained for **90 days** (baseline), unless a different period is required for legal, security, or operational reasons.

## 5. Recovery targets

Cortena targets the following recovery objectives for production services:

| Metric | Target |
| --- | --- |
| **RTO** (Recovery Time Objective) | 4 hours for critical services |
| **RPO** (Recovery Point Objective) | 24 hours (maximum data loss window) |

These targets are reviewed periodically and may be updated as the platform scales. See also [Disaster recovery](https://help.cortena.ai/compliance/disaster-recovery).

## 6. Backup testing

Backup integrity is tested periodically to verify that restoration is possible and data is not corrupted. Test results are reviewed by the CTO.

## 7. Restoration

Restoration is performed for reliability and incident recovery in line with the recovery targets above. Special restore requests may be handled case-by-case via [compliance@cortena.ai](mailto:compliance@cortena.ai).

## 8. Contact

[compliance@cortena.ai](mailto:compliance@cortena.ai)