SharePoint & Microsoft Resources

Retention Policies

Retention Policies are rules that help organisations manage the lifecycle of their data. They determine how long certain types of information—such as emails, documents, or Teams messages—should be retained, and when they should be deleted or archived. These policies are crucial for ensuring that data is properly managed, whether for compliance with legal requirements, security purposes, or simply keeping systems organised and efficient.

Importance of Retention Policies

Retention policies are essential in today’s digital workplace for several reasons:

  • Compliance: Many industries are required by law to keep specific types of records for a set period. Retention policies help organisations meet these regulations by ensuring that data is retained and disposed of appropriately.
  • Security and Privacy: By controlling how long sensitive information is kept, businesses can reduce the risk of data breaches or unauthorised access.
  • Efficiency: Retention policies help manage data storage and reduce clutter by automatically deleting unnecessary or outdated files, making it easier to find relevant information.
  • Legal Protection: Properly managing data can protect an organisation during audits or legal disputes by ensuring relevant records are kept and available when needed.

Examples of Retention Policies

  • Email Retention: A policy might be set to retain emails for a certain period, such as 7 years, after which they are automatically deleted unless marked for long-term storage.
  • Document Retention: Important documents, such as contracts or financial records, could be retained for 10 years to meet legal and regulatory requirements, while other documents are deleted after a shorter period.
  • Teams Data: Chats and conversations in Microsoft Teams can have retention policies that ensure discussions are deleted after a year, unless they are flagged as important for compliance.

Best Practices

To get the most out of Microsoft 365 retention policies, it’s helpful to follow a few best practices:

  • Understand Compliance Requirements: Identify the specific legal and regulatory requirements for data retention in your industry to ensure your policies meet all necessary standards.
  • Classify Data: Group data by type and importance (e.g., financial records, marketing emails, project files) and create retention policies tailored to each category.
  • Balance Retention and Deletion: Retain information for as long as necessary, but set clear timelines for deletion to avoid keeping unnecessary data, which can increase security risks.
  • Regularly Review Policies: Periodically assess your retention policies to ensure they still align with your organisation’s needs, evolving regulations, and best practices in data management.

By implementing well-thought-out retention policies, businesses can enhance data governance, improve compliance, and maintain a more organised, secure workplace.

More from Silicon Reef

Viva Engage: How Shell Silenced Email Chaos

Viva Engage: How Shell Silenced Email Chaos

Your Communications Team is eyeing Microsoft Viva Engage. The platform promises a lot, but you're wondering "Where do we start? What should our adoption plan look like? How will you measure success?" As Transformation Change & Communication Lead, I've steered...

25 Real World Examples of Power Platform

25 Real World Examples of Power Platform

If you, and your colleagues, aren’t already using Microsoft Power Platform you could be missing out. Power Automate, Power BI and Power Apps are the best-known parts of the platform, and they offer a variety of ways to create powerful new efficiencies. We share 25...

SharePoint Accessibility Checklist Guide

SharePoint Accessibility Checklist Guide

SharePoint Accessibility Checklist A 7-Step Guide to Creating An Accessible & Inclusive SharePoint Building an accessible SharePoint environment isn’t just about ticking boxes—it’s about creating a digital workspace that’s welcoming for everyone. This 7-step...

Streamlining your Document Lifecycle with Automation 

Streamlining your Document Lifecycle with Automation 

Governance. It’s rarely liked, but it is essential to a successful and productive Microsoft 365 environment. But by using Microsoft Power Automate you can remove a lot of the time consuming, manual, and repetitive tasks from your processes. Making it easier to...