Legal · Lexicon
Data residency, explained
Data residency describes where specified data is stored or processed.
At a glance
- The field
- Legal
- Reading time
- 1 minute
- In this entry
- Meaning · relevance · limits
01
The meaning
Data residency describes where specified data is stored or processed.
02
Why it matters
Ask about primary systems, replicas, backups and administrator access. An application database in one country may still send logs or copies elsewhere.
03
The boundary
Residency differs from ownership, legal jurisdiction and a complete data-protection assessment.
04
The primary disk is only one copy
A database runs in Zurich while its nightly backup, support export and monitoring system are elsewhere. A residency requirement should specify which data, replicas and administrative access it covers. Selecting a region in a configurator establishes the intended primary location; it does not demonstrate the location of every later copy.
- List database replicas, object storage, backups, disaster recovery and support tools.
- Require a documented deployment and transfer boundary before advertising a residency guarantee.