Mastering Retention: How to Change Retention Policy in Outlook 365

Changing the retention policy in Outlook 365 is a critical task for organizations aiming to comply with legal regulations, optimize storage, and manage information effectively. Simply put, it is achieved through the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of how to modify these policies:

1. Access the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal: Log in using an account with the necessary administrative privileges (typically a Global Administrator or Compliance Administrator role).

2. Navigate to Information Governance: Within the Purview portal, find and select the “Information governance” section.

3. Locate the Retention Policies: From the Information Governance dashboard, click on the “Retention policies” tab. This displays a list of existing retention policies.

4. Select the Policy to Modify: Choose the specific retention policy you wish to change by clicking on its name.

5. Edit the Policy Settings: This opens the policy’s details page, allowing you to modify various settings, including:

   • Retention Duration: Adjust the length of time items are retained (e.g., 7 years, 10 years, indefinitely).
   • Retention Actions: Specify what happens to items after the retention period expires (e.g., delete permanently, mark as a record).
   • Locations: Change the locations where the policy applies (e.g., specific mailboxes, SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, Teams locations).

6. Review and Save: Carefully review all changes you’ve made. Once satisfied, click the “Submit” or “Save” button to apply the modifications.

The changes will propagate and take effect based on the configuration, often within 24 hours. However, complex configurations involving numerous mailboxes or locations might take longer. Always test policy changes in a controlled environment before implementing them organization-wide.

Diving Deeper: Understanding Retention Policies in Outlook 365

Retention policies in Microsoft 365 are not merely about deleting old emails. They’re sophisticated tools that dictate how data is preserved, managed, and eventually disposed of across various Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams. Implementing an effective retention strategy is crucial for legal compliance, regulatory adherence (like GDPR and HIPAA), and efficient data management.

Understanding the nuances of retention policies, including retention labels and adaptive scopes, allows organizations to finely tune their information governance strategies. Retention labels are assigned to specific items (like a single email or document) and dictate their retention behavior independently of broader policies. Adaptive scopes use attributes or metadata to dynamically include or exclude content from policies, ensuring accurate and targeted application.

Common Retention Policy Scenarios

• Legal Hold: Preserve data relevant to ongoing litigation.
• Compliance Retention: Retain data to comply with industry-specific regulations.
• Record Management: Classify and manage records according to established lifecycles.
• Data Minimization: Automatically delete data that is no longer needed, reducing storage costs and risk.

Best Practices for Implementing Retention Policies

• Understand Your Data: Conduct a thorough data audit to identify different types of data and their associated retention requirements.
• Define Clear Policies: Create clear, concise, and easily understandable retention policies that align with business needs and legal requirements.
• Communicate Effectively: Inform employees about the retention policies and their impact on their work.
• Test Thoroughly: Test new or modified policies in a pilot environment before deploying them organization-wide.
• Monitor and Review: Regularly monitor the effectiveness of retention policies and make adjustments as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Outlook 365 Retention Policies

Here are 12 of the most frequently asked questions that I encounter from organizations seeking to refine their data lifecycle management within Outlook 365:

1. What are the different types of retention policies available in Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 offers two primary types of retention policies: Retention policies (which apply to locations) and retention labels (which apply to individual items). Retention policies can be configured to retain, delete, or both retain and then delete content. Retention labels provide more granular control and allow users to manually or automatically classify content for retention purposes.

2. How long does it take for a retention policy to take effect after I change it?

Generally, it takes up to 24 hours for a retention policy to take effect after changes are made. However, in complex environments or with policies applied to a large number of mailboxes or locations, it may take longer. Monitor the policy status within the Purview compliance portal to track its deployment.

3. Can I apply different retention policies to different mailboxes in Outlook 365?

Yes, you can apply different retention policies to specific mailboxes, sites, or other locations within Microsoft 365. This allows for tailored retention based on departmental needs, legal requirements, or data sensitivity. You can define the specific locations where the policy applies during policy creation or modification.

4. What happens when a retention policy conflicts with a litigation hold?

Litigation holds always take precedence over retention policies. If a mailbox is placed on litigation hold, all content is preserved until the hold is removed, regardless of any retention policy settings. This ensures that data relevant to legal proceedings is protected.

5. How do I ensure compliance with GDPR using retention policies?

Retention policies can assist with GDPR compliance by allowing you to define specific retention periods for personal data. You can configure policies to automatically delete data after a defined period, in accordance with the “right to be forgotten” principle. Use retention labels to classify personal data and manage its lifecycle accordingly.

6. Can I recover items that have been deleted by a retention policy?

The ability to recover items deleted by a retention policy depends on the configuration. If the policy is set to permanently delete items, they cannot be recovered. However, if the policy is configured to move items to a recoverable items folder, they can be recovered within a specified timeframe. Understand the implications of choosing permanent deletion versus recoverable deletion when setting retention policies.

7. What are adaptive scopes, and how can they improve my retention policies?

Adaptive scopes allow you to dynamically include or exclude content from retention policies based on attributes or metadata. For example, you can create a scope that automatically includes all mailboxes belonging to a specific department. Adaptive scopes simplify policy management and ensure accurate targeting, especially in dynamic environments where user attributes change frequently.

8. How do I monitor the effectiveness of my retention policies?

The Microsoft Purview compliance portal provides tools for monitoring the effectiveness of your retention policies. You can track policy deployment status, review audit logs, and generate reports to identify any issues or gaps in your retention strategy. Regularly monitor and review your policies to ensure they are functioning as intended.

9. Can end-users modify or override retention policies?

Typically, end-users cannot modify or override retention policies set by administrators. The intention is to enforce consistent data governance across the organization. However, depending on the configuration and the use of retention labels, users might have the ability to apply specific retention labels to individual items.

10. What happens to data in Microsoft Teams when a retention policy is applied?

Retention policies can be applied to Microsoft Teams to manage the lifecycle of channel messages, chats, and files. You can configure policies to retain or delete Teams data based on specific criteria, ensuring compliance and data minimization. This includes data stored in Teams mailboxes, SharePoint sites, and OneDrive accounts associated with Teams.

11. How do I handle retention for former employees’ mailboxes?

Retention for former employees’ mailboxes should be carefully considered. You can configure retention policies to retain these mailboxes for a specific period, allowing you to access historical data and comply with legal requirements. After the retention period, you can either permanently delete the mailbox or convert it to an inactive mailbox for long-term archiving.

12. Is there a way to test retention policies before applying them to my entire organization?

Yes, it’s highly recommended to test retention policies in a pilot environment before deploying them organization-wide. Create a test mailbox or site and apply the policy to that location. Monitor the results to ensure the policy is functioning as expected and make any necessary adjustments before rolling it out to the entire organization. This minimizes the risk of unintended data loss or compliance issues.