The policy renewal date defines when a policy must be reviewed, updated, or acknowledged again. It is a required field for every policy in Drata. The renewal date is used to:
Compliance checks for policy-related tests.
Trigger tasks on the Tasks page for upcoming policy reviews or acknowledgments.
Renewing a policy ensures that it remains accurate, relevant, and compliant with your organization’s framework requirements. The steps vary depending on your compliance program's needs. Here are some examples:
Frameworks Requiring Policy Reviews Only
If your framework mandates periodic reviews without personnel acknowledgment, follow these steps:
Review the policy to confirm it is accurate and up to date.
Adjust the renewal date to the next review deadline.
Select Update and indicate that this is NOT a material change when prompted.
Outcome:
If you are a Policy Owner, the policy remains Published, and no personnel acknowledgment is required.
If you are not a Policy Owner, you will need approval from the Policy owner, but personnel do not need to re-acknowledge it.
Frameworks Requiring Policy Reviews and Personnel Acknowledgment
If your framework requires personnel to acknowledge policies on a regular cadence, follow these steps:
Review the policy to ensure it is accurate and relevant.
Adjust the renewal date to the next acknowledgment deadline.
Select Update and indicate that this IS a material change when prompted.
Obtain approval from the Policy Owner.
Publish and notify personnel to acknowledge the updated policy.
Outcome: Personnel acknowledgment is required.
Before getting started
Future Date Requirement: If the renewal date is overdue and the policy is not in the Published status, you must update it to a future date in order to update the policy.
Blocked Actions for Overdue Dates: If the renewal date is in the past, the following actions will be blocked until the renewal date is updated:
Finalizing a draft.
Approving the policy.
Saving changes to an Approved policy.
Publishing the policy.
Manage your policy renewal date
Every policy in Drata requires a renewal date. You can locate and manage renewal dates in the following ways:
On the Policy Center Table
The renewal date is displayed directly in the Policy Center table for easy reference.
In the Policy Details
Select the policy to view its details. The renewal date is listed under the Policy Details section.
Important Note
When selecting the renewal date:
Many frameworks require policies to be reviewed and acknowledged annually by your personnel.
To maintain compliance and pass audits successfully, set a renewal date that gives your team sufficient time to review and acknowledge policies before the annual deadline.
Update your Renewal Date
If a policy’s renewal date is overdue and the policy is not in the Published status, you must update the renewal date to a future date before proceeding with any changes or status updates.
To update your renewal date:
Navigate to the Policy Center and select the policy you want to update.
Select the edit button in the Policy details section.
Enter a future date for your renewal date field.
Save your changes.
Policy Renewal and Tasks
On the Tasks page, automated policy-related tasks are generated based on the renewal date set for each policy.
Policy Renewal and Tests
Policy-related tests are tied to the renewal date of each policy. These tests verify whether the renewal date is valid to determine if the test passes. If the renewal date is overdue, the test will fail, indicating that action is required.
The following image illustrates a compliance test for the "Acceptable Use Policy." Drata inspects your records to ensure that the Acceptable Use Policy is in place and valid before its renewal date.