By default the Nexetic Backup for Microsoft 365 service has unlimited retention of data. I.e. all the data that has been backed up once will be kept in the backup indefinitely.
We have now added an option to create retention policies that can be used to define how to handle the older data and data/user accounts that have been deleted from the Microsoft 365 service. Option to create retention policies is currently available for:
- Deleted users
- OneDrive files
- SharePoint & Teams files
1. Create a retention policy
To create a retention policy, click Retention policies in the drop-down menu under your signed-in username.
Next, click Create in the top-left corner.
1.1. Policy for Deleted users
- Name: Type a name for the policy
- Service: Click the small arrow to open Service selection. Select Deleted users from the drop-down menu.
- Groups: Select scope for the retention policy. It can be applied to users in all Entra ID Groups (All groups), or to selected Entra ID groups. You can select one or multiple groups. There is a Search option to help you locate the groups.
- Delete older than: Define length for the retention: x Days/Weeks/Months/Years. Minimum retention value for deleted users is 7 days.
EXAMPLE: Get rid of deleted users' data
By creating the policy displayed below, user accounts that have been deleted from the organization's Microsoft 365 tenant more than 180 days ago are deleted from backup, including all their data. The policy applies to all Entra ID groups of the organization.
Note
If there are overlapping or conflicting policies:
- Group-specific policies will take priority over policies that cover all groups.
- If a multiple policies have been assigned to a single group, the one with the shortest retention will be applied.
1.2. Policy for OneDrive files
- Name: Type a name for the policy
- Service: Click the small arrow to open Service selection. Select Drive from the drop-down menu.
- Groups: Select scope for the retention policy. It can be applied to users in all Entra ID Groups (All groups), or to selected Entra ID groups. You can select one or multiple groups. There is a Search option to help you locate the groups.
- Remove only deleted data: When selected, the retention policy will only delete data that has been deleted from the users' OneDrives. If you untick the box, also existing data modified more than X days/weeks/months/years ago will be deleted when the retention period is reached.
- Keep latest revision: When selected, the latest revision of the files that have reached their retention period is always kept.
- Delete older than: Define length for the retention: x Days/Weeks/Months/Years.
EXAMPLE 1: Get rid of already deleted files
By creating the policy displayed below, all files that have been deleted from the users' OneDrives more than 6 months ago are fully deleted from backup. This applies to users that belong to Entra ID groups 'Nexetic Marketing' and 'Nexetic Rocks'.
EXAMPLE 2: Remove old versions of files that are not actively updated
By creating the policy displayed below, OneDrive files that have been last modified more than 4 years ago will be deleted from backup - except for the latest revision. The latest file version will be kept for each file. This rule applies to users in all Entra ID groups.
Note
Minimum value for OneDrive file retention is 90 days.
If there are overlapping or conflicting policies:
- Group-specific policies will take priority over policies that cover all groups.
- If a multiple policies have been assigned to a single group, the one with the shortest retention will be applied.
- If multiple policies affect the same files, policy with the shortest retention will be applied.
1.3. Policy for SharePoint files
- Name: Type a name for the policy
- Service: Click the small arrow to open Service selection. Select SharePoint from the drop-down menu.
- Remove only deleted data: When selected, the retention policy will only delete data that has been deleted from the organization's SharePoint. If you untick the box, also existing data modified more than X days/weeks/months/years ago will be deleted when the retention period is reached.
- Keep latest revision: When selected, the latest revision of the files that have reached their retention period is always kept.
- Delete older than: Define length for the retention: x Days/Weeks/Months/Years.
EXAMPLE: Get rid of already deleted files
By creating the policy displayed below, files that have been deleted from the organization's SharePoint more than 3 months ago are deleted from backup. The policy applies to all files on all SharePoint sites and Teams; currently it is not possible to create site specific policies.
Note
Minimum value for SharePoint file retention is 90 days.
If multiple policies affect the same files, policy with the shortest retention will be applied.
2. Modify or delete retention policies
You can modify any of the existing retention policies by clicking the Edit button (pen icon) for the policy. All the policy attributes are editable.
You can delete any of the policies by clicking the Delete button (trash bin icon) for the policy. After deleting a policy, the retention rule ceases to exist.