Microsoft 365 archiving and retention periods

Microsoft 365

Getting Started with Archiving, Retention, and Retention Periods

Many organizations struggle with preserving, archiving and cleaning up data in Microsoft 365. And that’s not surprising. Over the years, data in SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive piles up quickly. As a result, information gets lost, documents are hard to find and it is often unclear what you may or may not delete. This takes time and also creates compliance and information security risks.

Without clear guidelines on retention periods, archiving, and document classification, Microsoft 365 can quickly turn into digital chaos. Not only does this make it difficult to comply with laws and regulations such as the GDPR or ISO 27001, but it also hinders the use of AI and Copilot.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to tackle these challenges. We’d love to show you why you should get started on this today:

Complying with legislation

Your organization must comply with laws and regulations such as the Archives Act, AVG, NIS2 and ISO27001.

Search costs employees time

Employees spend a lot of time every day searching for the right documents and information.

High data storage costs

Much data has been collected over the years that is outdated or no longer actively used.

Uncertainty about policy

There is a retention policy, but it remains difficult to assess what may be archived or deleted.

Not ready
for Copilot and AI

You want to get started with Copilot (AI), but at the same time shield sensitive data.

Archiving, Retention, and Retention Periods

What does Microsoft 365 offer?

Microsoft 365 offers powerful tools to get a handle on data retention, archiving and cleansing. With Microsoft 365 Archive, you archive data securely within your own environment. And thanks to Microsoft Purview, you can set retention periods and classifications and have them enforced automatically. This removes responsibility from individual employees, prevents errors and ensures that data is always saved, deleted or archived at the right time.

Document management standard sharepoint

Archiving, Retention, and Retention Periods

How does that work?

Deletion of Personal Data

Automatically delete personal data after a specific period so that your organization complies with the GDPR and avoids unnecessary risks.

Deleting Emails

Automatically delete emails after a specific set period of time to keep inboxes organized and prevent them from becoming overloaded.

Archiving SharePoint and Teams

Automatically archive SharePoint sites and Teams conversations within your Microsoft 365 environment so they can be easily archived or deactivated.

Retention of Documents

Retain important documents in accordance with the Archives Act to ensure they are not accidentally deleted and remain available for inspection at all times.

Microsoft 365 governance and compliance

Archiving, Retention, and Retention Periods

How does this help you?

With a good policy and the tools of Microsoft 365, your organization easily complies with laws and regulations such as the Archive Act, AVG and ISO27001, without employees spending a lot of time manually labeling or deleting documents and emails. This saves time and makes data management more efficient and less prone to errors.

In addition, you prevent outdated data from causing chaos in SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive. You always have control over which data should be kept and which should not, so employees always have access to the right, up-to-date information. So you can deploy Copilot or other AI tools without worry, making it easier for employees to find the right information while keeping your data well protected.

Governance & Compliance scan

Want to know how your organization scores on governance and compliance? Schedule a scan and get instant insight. We map key areas, identify risks and provide practical guidance for quick improvements.

Governance & Compliance

How can we help you?

Setting up archiving, retention and retention periods is not done in a few clicks and requires careful preparation. It requires careful preparation and a clear policy from your organization. We not only support you in drawing up this policy, but also help with its implementation.

With our experience in setting up Microsoft 365 according to laws and regulations such as the Archive Act, AVG, NIS2 and ISO27001, we ensure that your organization complies with the requirements without costing your employees unnecessary time. We also advise on setting up an efficient information structure, so that your employees can quickly and easily find the right information and work according to the standards that your organization has established.

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