Managing Retention Policies and Records in SharePoint

In today’s modern, process driven business, effective information management is essential not only for maintaining operational efficiency but also for ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory standards. Within SharePoint, implementing retention policies and managing records can streamline the information lifecycle, improve governance, and mitigate the risks associated with poorly managed data storage.

This blog provides a comprehensive overview of how to implement retention policies and manage records in SharePoint, helping your organisation remain compliant and optimise the flow of information.

What are retention policies?

Retention policies in SharePoint define the length of time certain types of content (such as documents, lists, emails, etc.) are retained and when they are archived or deleted. These policies help businesses manage data systematically, ensuring specific actions are taken after content has reached its retention period. This approach is crucial for adhering to regulatory requirements such as the GDPR or ISO standards.

Why implement retention policies?

The implementation of retention policies offers several key advantages:

• Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry regulations and legal requirements (such as GDPR).
• Risk reduction: Minimises the risks of data breaches, mismanagement, or unauthorised access.
• Cost efficiency: Helps reduce storage costs by deleting outdated or unnecessary data.
• Operational efficiency: Ensures employees can access only current, relevant data without being overwhelmed by obsolete information.

What is Records Management in SharePoint?

Records management involves the identification, classification, storage, archiving, and disposal of information in line with an organisation’s policies and legal obligations. SharePoint, along with Microsoft Purview, offers built-in records management tools to help businesses store, protect, and manage important information efficiently.

Key features of SharePoint Records Management:

• Retention: Policies that define when documents or data should be stored, archived, or deleted.
• Retention Labels: Automatically categorises and applies rules to different content.
• Disposition Reviews: Allows reviewing of records before deletion or archiving.
• Audit Logs: Provides visibility into data management actions.

Step-by-Step guide to implementing retention policies in SharePoint

Step 1: Assess your organisation’s needs

Before setting up retention policies, assess your organisation’s data management requirements:

• Identify the types of content that need retention (e.g., contracts, invoices, emails, reports).
• Understand the applicable regulations and compliance standards for your industry (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.).
• Determine the appropriate retention periods for each category of documents.

Step 2: Create retention labels

Retention labels allow you to apply specific rules to documents or records to control their lifecycle.

• In Microsoft Purview (formerly Compliance Centre), navigate to Information Governance > Labels.
• Create a new retention label by giving it a name, description, and retention settings.
  • Specify how long content with this label should be retained (e.g., 7 years for financial records).
  • Define what happens when the retention period ends (e.g., delete the content, trigger a review, or move it to an archive).

Step 3: Publish retention labels

Once your retention labels are created, they need to be published to SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, or Exchange mailboxes:

• In Information Governance, select Label Policies and create a policy to publish the retention labels.
• Choose the locations (SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts) where the labels will be applied.
• Once the policy is activated, the retention labels will be available for users to apply to content.

Step 4: Automate retention with label policies

To make retention processes seamless, use automatic label policies that apply labels based on metadata or file attributes:

• Set rules that trigger automatic labelling based on document types, keywords, or specific metadata.
• For example, apply a “Financial Records” retention label automatically to all documents containing the term “invoice”.

Step 5: Manage records using SharePoint libraries

Records management can be implemented using SharePoint document libraries. These libraries allow users to:

• Store and categorise documents as records.
• Apply retention labels and policies directly to files.
• Lock records to prevent changes once they are marked for retention.

To set up records management in SharePoint:

• Create or designate specific libraries for storing records.
• Apply retention policies and labels to these libraries based on document type.
• Enable versioning and audit logs to track any changes or access to the records.

Step 6: Disposition review process

When a document’s retention period ends, a disposition review ensures records are handled appropriately before being deleted or archived:

• In the Microsoft Purview Compliance Centre, set up a disposition review workflow.
• The review process will notify designated reviewers that a document’s retention period has ended, prompting them to assess the content before deletion.
• This ensures important records are preserved when necessary, reducing the risk of accidental deletions.

Step 7: Automate workflows for Records Management

Automation is essential for managing large volumes of data. SharePoint allows you to set up workflows to automate retention and archiving processes:

• Use Power Automate to create workflows that trigger actions when a document’s status changes (e.g., when a retention period ends).
• Automatically move files to an archive, apply new labels, or delete outdated information.

Best practices for managing records and retention in SharePoint

1. Involve Key Stakeholders

Ensure IT, legal, compliance, and records management teams are involved in setting up retention policies. Each department may have unique requirements or compliance needs.

2. Classify and Label Information Consistently

Ensure that employees classify and label documents correctly by providing training and clear guidelines. Consistency is crucial for enforcing retention policies across the organisation.

3. Regularly Review Retention Policies

Regulatory requirements evolve, so regularly reviewing and updating retention policies is essential. Conduct periodic audits to ensure policies are still relevant and compliant.

4. Leverage Metadata for Better Records Management

Use metadata to improve the categorisation of documents. Metadata fields such as “document type”, “creation date”, or “project name” can help automate the labelling and archiving of documents based on their lifecycle stage.

5. Ensure GDPR Compliance

When dealing with personal data, it is essential to implement policies that comply with GDPR. Retention labels can help ensure personal information is stored no longer than necessary and deleted when it is no longer needed.

Benefits of effective retention and Records Management in SharePoint

1. Improved Compliance

Retention policies ensure your organisation complies with legal and regulatory requirements, reducing the risk of fines or penalties.

2. Cost Savings

Managing retention and deleting unnecessary data reduces storage costs while maintaining access to up-to-date information.

3. Increased Efficiency

Automating retention policies and records management reduces manual data handling, allowing employees to focus on more valuable tasks.

4. Reduced Risk

Properly implemented retention policies minimise the risks of data breaches, legal liabilities, and operational inefficiencies.

5. Better Information Governance

Streamlined retention policies and records management workflows promote better governance, ensuring data is handled consistently and responsibly across the organisation.

In summary

Implementing retention policies and managing records in SharePoint is essential for maintaining compliance and improving the efficiency of information lifecycle management. By following best practices, automating workflows, and regularly reviewing policies, your organisation can ensure it meets regulatory obligations while optimising how data is stored, accessed, and disposed of.

If your organisation is ready to streamline its document management processes and ensure compliance, SharePoint’s retention policies and records management tools are the perfect solution.

Need assistance with SharePoint retention policies and records management? Contact OfficeLabs today for expert advice and tailored solutions!