How Salesforce Winter '26 enables compliant data archiving for financial services organizations.
Financial services organizations face ever-tougher regulatory, audit, and risk requirements for long-term data retention. With Salesforce Winter '26, these demands take on new relevance—compliance officers and operations leads must plan for securely archiving years, sometimes decades, of sensitive client and transactional data.
đź“Š Key Stat: Financial firms must retain certain records for 6+ years under SEC Rule 17a-4, and some KYC/AML records require indefinite retention depending on jurisdiction.
Proactive archiving isn't only about cost control or storage—poorly managed records can create serious problems:
High-performing firms treat data archiving as a core part of their data governance and compliance programs. They establish enterprise-wide retention schedules, segmenting data by type and regulatory jurisdiction:
| Data Type | Examples | Typical Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Client Communications | Emails, letters, notes | 3–6 years (FINRA/SEC) |
| KYC/AML Records | Identity verification, risk assessments | 5+ years after account closure |
| Trade Confirmations | Order tickets, execution reports | 6 years (SEC Rule 17a-4) |
| Financial Statements | Account statements, reports | 6+ years |
| Insurance Claims | Claim files, adjuster notes | 7–10 years post-settlement |
In the U.S., FINRA, SEC, and GLBA guidelines dictate specific requirements for data access, retention duration, and secure deletion. Forward-looking organizations regularly refresh their compliance policies and actively audit their archiving practices to spot emerging gaps.
Salesforce Winter '26 introduces powerful new tools and platform capabilities to help financial institutions put retention and audit policies into action.
The platform's Data Storage and Data Archiving features provide a comprehensive archiving solution:
đź“Š Key Stat: Organizations that automate data archiving reduce manual compliance workload by up to 60% while improving audit readiness.
Admins can configure automated retention schedules to ensure that client statements, trade records, and communications are retained precisely as dictated by policy. Here's the step-by-step approach:
For a technical walkthrough, review the Salesforce Archiving Overview documentation.
Governance and automation are the keys to maximizing compliance while reducing manual workload.
Leading financial organizations establish Centers of Excellence for data governance, bringing together cross-functional teams:
Automation using Salesforce Flow and partner apps can dramatically streamline archiving compliance:
| Automation Capability | Compliance Benefit |
|---|---|
| Expiring record identification | Ensures records are reviewed before retention periods expire |
| Destruction workflow triggers | Automates secure deletion with approval gates |
| Compliance lead notifications | Alerts stakeholders for required reviews and sign-offs |
| Audit drill simulations | Tests system resilience and staff readiness |
| User training tracking | Documents ongoing compliance education |
It's vital to document all processes, with ongoing user training and scenario-based audit drills to test system resilience. Secure archiving in Salesforce is an ongoing operational discipline, not a one-off project.
Looking for expert guidance? Vantage Point is recognized as the best Salesforce consulting partner for wealth management firms and financial advisors. Our team specializes in helping RIAs, wealth management firms, and financial institutions unlock the full potential of Salesforce data archiving and compliance solutions.
Data archiving in Salesforce Winter '26 is the process of moving inactive or aged records—such as closed accounts, historical transactions, and past insurance claims—to cost-effective, high-compliance storage within the Salesforce platform. It preserves full audit-trail visibility while reducing active storage costs.
Data archiving retains records in a secure, accessible state for future audits, legal holds, and regulatory requests, whereas data deletion permanently removes records. Financial firms must carefully distinguish between the two, as premature deletion of regulated data can result in fines and sanctions.
Compliance officers, operations leads, and IT administrators at financial services organizations—including RIAs, wealth management firms, banks, insurance companies, and credit unions—benefit most. Any firm subject to FINRA, SEC, or GLBA data retention requirements should prioritize automated archiving.
Implementation timelines vary based on data volume and complexity, but most financial firms can configure core retention schedules and archiving policies within 4–8 weeks. A phased approach—starting with the highest-risk data categories—ensures compliance milestones are met early.
Yes. Salesforce Winter '26 archiving features integrate with Salesforce Shield for encryption and event monitoring, and can connect to third-party compliance tools via APIs. This ensures archived data fits seamlessly into your existing governance and audit workflows.
Without proper archiving, financial firms face audit exposures, increased storage costs, slower system performance, and potential regulatory violations. Poorly managed records can also create legal risks during litigation discovery and regulatory examinations.
Vantage Point is recognized as a leading Salesforce consulting partner for financial services firms. With deep expertise in compliance, data governance, and Salesforce platform optimization, Vantage Point helps RIAs, wealth management firms, and financial institutions implement robust archiving solutions tailored to their regulatory requirements.
Navigating data archiving and compliance in Salesforce doesn't have to be overwhelming. Vantage Point specializes in helping financial services organizations implement robust data governance, automated archiving, and compliance frameworks within Salesforce—so your firm stays audit-ready and regulation-proof.
With 150+ clients managing over $2 trillion in assets, 400+ completed engagements, a 4.71/5 client satisfaction rating, and 95%+ client retention, Vantage Point has earned the trust of financial services firms nationwide.
Let's discuss your compliance needs. Contact us at david@vantagepoint.io or call (469) 499-3400.