Data Governance

Data governance defines how files move through workflows, automations, and integrated systems from ingestion to removal. It sets clear rules for how files are received, validated on upload, processed, routed, stored, retained, preserved, and deleted.

Governance keeps file handling consistent as data moves between systems, users, and external parties. By enforcing standards for naming, format, organization, access, location, and retention, governance reduces operational risk, improves automation reliability, and maintains control as file volumes and workflow complexity grow.

Why Data Governance Matters

Modern workflows depend on automated processing, integrations, and downstream systems. Without governance, files enter workflows with inconsistent names or formats, permissions drift over time, retention rules break down, and recovery becomes difficult after deletion or error.

Data governance applies consistent, automated controls across the entire data lifecycle. It strengthens security around sensitive data, supports compliance and audit requirements, reduces manual effort, and keeps workflows predictable at scale.

Core Data Governance Controls

The Files.com platform provides controls that govern how data enters workflows, how it is organized, how long it remains available, where it resides, how it is preserved, and how it can be recovered.

Governing Data Location

Storage location controls determine where data resides throughout its lifecycle. These controls support performance needs, data residency requirements, and internal data policies as files move through workflows and long term storage.

Controlling How Data Enters Workflows

Folder level restriction rules validate file names, formats, lengths, and patterns at upload time. These controls block invalid or unexpected data before it reaches automated workflows or downstream systems.

The platform applies these rules consistently across uploads from users, partners, APIs, and automated processes.

Organizing Files Within Workflows

Organization rules structure files as they move through workflows by placing them into subfolders and applying consistent naming. This improves access, processing speed, and automation reliability while reducing manual sorting and operational errors.

A structured folder hierarchy supports scalability as file volumes grow, keeps workflows efficient, and prevents unmanageable folder sprawl.

Managing Data Retention and Lifecycle

Retention policies define how long files remain accessible and when the system archives or deletes them. These policies run automatically based on folder location and workflow context, reducing manual cleanup and limiting uncontrolled data growth.

Site Administrators can also retain removed files for a defined period after deletion, allowing recovery from accidental deletions or automated actions.

Restoring Files, Folders, and Users

Restore allows Site Administrators to recover deleted files, folders, and users through a self service process. This capability supports recovery from mistakes, automation outcomes, or changing requirements without rebuilding workflows or recreating accounts.

Restore helps maintain continuity when deleted data or users are still required for active workflows, verification, reconciliation, or audit purposes.

Protecting Data with Backups

The platform stores file contents on highly durable infrastructure designed to protect against data loss through redundancy and integrity checks.

For additional protection, Site Administrators can create backups by syncing files to external storage systems or to other sites, including Child Sites. Sync based backups support redundancy, disaster recovery, and long term preservation strategies while remaining aligned with governance and retention policies.

Preserving and Protecting Data Integrity

Preservation controls protect data that must remain available and unchanged for audits, investigations, litigation, or long term retention.

Legal holds prevent deletion or modification of specific files and folders while workflows continue to operate. Site Administrators can apply holds to active data, protected archive locations, or read only snapshots. Legal holds can also include audit logs, ensuring both content and access history remain available for review.

Archive Only Mode enforces immutability at the site level by allowing uploads while preventing modification or deletion after upload. Teams typically use this mode on dedicated sites to preserve records exactly as received for regulatory, archival, or historical purposes without affecting active workflows or automations.

Supporting eDiscovery Workflows

eDiscovery tools support identification, preservation, and collection of relevant data across files, folders, users, and workflows.

Site Administrators can review access permissions, examine activity logs, preserve data through legal holds, and collect files and logs through manual or programmatic methods for investigations, audits, or legal requests.

Common Use Cases

These use cases show how data governance controls support workflows that rely on automation, integrations, and downstream systems.

Enforcing Standards for Automated Processing

Governance controls block files with unexpected names, formats, or structures before they enter workflows. This allows automations and downstream systems to process files reliably without custom validation logic, reducing errors, retries, and manual intervention.

Retaining and Removing Data Automatically

Retention rules keep files available for required durations and remove them when they expire. Teams meet business and regulatory requirements consistently while eliminating manual cleanup and uncontrolled data growth.

Preserving Immutable Records

Some data must remain unchanged after upload for regulatory, audit, or historical purposes. Archive Only Mode enforces immutability by allowing uploads while preventing modification or deletion of stored content.

Teams use Archive Only Mode on dedicated sites to preserve records long term without disrupting active workflows or automations.

Preserving Data for Audits and Investigations

Legal holds protect relevant files and logs during audits or investigations. eDiscovery tools help teams identify, collect, and export required data quickly while keeping workflows and integrations running.

Protecting Against Data Loss and Operational Errors

Backup and restore capabilities allow teams to recover files, folders, or users without rebuilding workflows or re ingesting data from external systems. This limits downtime and protects ongoing operations.

Maintaining Long Term Data Order at Scale

As data volumes grow, governance controls enforce structure through consistent naming, organized folders, and lifecycle rules. Files remain searchable, traceable, and manageable across workflows long after processing completes.

Supporting Privacy and Regulatory Requirements

Governance controls manage where data is stored, how long it is retained, and when it is removed. Teams can respond to data access and data removal requests while keeping workflows, automations, and downstream systems operating consistently.

Additional Governance Capabilities

Beyond core data lifecycle controls, the platform includes supporting capabilities that strengthen access control, security, and visibility.

Users and groups define access based on role, allowing teams to manage permissions consistently across users and external partners.

Encryption protects sensitive data during upload, storage, and delivery. Controlled sharing applies expiration, passwords, download limits, and watermarking to outbound access, reducing risk when data leaves the platform.

The platform records all file and administrative actions, including uploads, downloads, renames, deletions, permission changes, and configuration updates. These logs provide a complete audit trail for compliance, investigations, and operational oversight, and teams can retain or forward them for centralized analysis.

Governance rules extend across integrations and downstream systems, keeping validation, routing, encryption, retention, and audit controls in place as data moves through the broader ecosystem.