Data Handling

Last reviewed: March 5, 2026 Owner: Security + Engineering Review cadence: Quarterly Status: Implemented This page defines the hosted default data scope, retention behavior, and what changes when you self-host.

Reviewer focus

Which data classes are stored in the hosted model
What the default retention and deletion behavior is
How ownership changes between hosted and self-hosted environments

Implementation status (March 5, 2026)

Tero limits retained data by default. The control plane stores only the metadata required to operate the product. Full raw telemetry stays in your observability platform.

Data lifecycle diagram (hosted default)

Data classes and handling model (hosted default)

Data class	Stored in Tero-hosted	Typical purpose
Account and workspace configuration	Yes	Service setup and access control
Telemetry metadata (schema, field types, volume patterns)	Yes	Catalog, analysis, and policy generation
Full raw telemetry content	No (default model)	Source of record remains customer observability platform
Authentication and session metadata	Yes	Authentication and authorization workflows
Billing metadata (self-service)	Limited scope only	Billing operations

Retention and deletion baseline

Data type	Default retention
Account and workspace data	While account or workspace is active
Metadata required for service operation	While workspace is active
Backups	30 days

When a customer account or workspace is deleted, Tero removes data from active systems within 30 days. Backup copies age out under backup-retention windows.

Hosted vs self-hosted boundary

Area	Tero-hosted	Self-hosted
Data locality control	Tero-hosted region model	Customer-selected region and infrastructure
Infrastructure boundary	Tero-operated	Customer-operated
Subprocessor scope	Tero-managed service stack	Customer-selected stack
Data deletion execution	Tero-operated	Customer-operated runtime

Evidence you can request

Topic	Primary evidence
High-level storage model	Overview
Ownership split by deployment	Shared Responsibility
Retention and deletion expectations	Data Retention
Subprocessor scope	Subprocessors and Third Parties

Exceptions and governance

Any exception to standard handling or retention behavior requires documented risk, Security and Engineering approval, compensating controls, and a time-bound remediation plan. Evidence requests:

Overview

Foundations

Controls

Assurance

Policies

Reviewer focus

Implementation status (March 5, 2026)

Data lifecycle diagram (hosted default)

Data classes and handling model (hosted default)

Retention and deletion baseline

Hosted vs self-hosted boundary

Evidence you can request

Exceptions and governance

​Reviewer focus

​Implementation status (March 5, 2026)

​Data lifecycle diagram (hosted default)

​Data classes and handling model (hosted default)

​Retention and deletion baseline

​Hosted vs self-hosted boundary

​Evidence you can request

​Exceptions and governance

Reviewer focus

Implementation status (March 5, 2026)

Data lifecycle diagram (hosted default)

Data classes and handling model (hosted default)

Retention and deletion baseline

Hosted vs self-hosted boundary

Evidence you can request

Exceptions and governance