A Turnkey Solution for Data Retention
Telecom data retention is the process of preserving all traffic and subscriber data for various telecommunications services for a period of months and years. However, this data does not include the content of a communication.
Access to retained telecom data is seen by law enforcement agencies and intelligence services as a critical component of modern crime investigation and terrorism prevention.
Retained electronic data is frequently utilized to identify and trace suspects, uncover terrorists’ social networks, and gather admissible evidence for court proceedings.
Benefits
Many countries around the world have passed laws to define the authority of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as well as the responsibilities of service providers. Telecom operators and Internet service providers are often requested to retain call records, internet connection records, email logs and subscriber data for a period ranging from a few weeks to two years. They must respond to authorized inquiries by law enforcement and intelligence agencies without undue delay and report the suspect’s retained data. Strong data security and data protection requirements must be in place to ensure that retained data can only be accessed by authorized staff and for legitimate purposes.
For telecom operators and Internet service providers, data retention necessitates significant investment in support systems that enable them to comply with these laws. Clearly, simply extending the retention period of billing records is insufficient, as laws and regulations require additional data and strong data protection. Every day, there are millions to billions of records to be stored, depending on the size and type of operator, and operators must be able to respond to hundreds to thousands of inquiries per day.
Utimaco has responded to these requirements with a purpose-built solution for telecom data retention: the Utimaco DRS.