ARCHIVING SHAREPOINT SITES

When planning a large enterprise project to archive multiple SharePoint sites from various departments in the organization, which members of the organization should be involved and what would their roles and responsibilities be in support of the project?

Planning a large enterprise project to archive multiple SharePoint sites from various departments requires a well-coordinated team with clearly defined roles to ensure success. Below is a breakdown of the key organizational members who should be involved, along with their roles and responsibilities. The list accounts for the complexity of enterprise environments, including technical, governance, and stakeholder considerations.

1. Project Sponsor (Executive Leadership, e.g., CIO, CTO, or VP)

  • Role: Provides high-level oversight, secures funding, and champions the project.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Define the project’s strategic objectives (e.g., compliance, cost reduction, or data consolidation).
    • Approve budget and resource allocation.
    • Resolve high-level conflicts or roadblocks.
    • Communicate the project’s importance to the organization to ensure buy-in from departments.
    • Align the archiving initiative with organizational goals.

2. Project Manager

  • Role: Oversees the project’s execution, timeline, and coordination.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Develop and manage the project plan, including timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
    • Coordinate between departments, vendors, and IT teams.
    • Track progress, manage risks, and report status to stakeholders.
    • Ensure the project stays within scope, budget, and timeline.
    • Facilitate communication and manage stakeholder expectations.

3. SharePoint Administrator(s)

  • Role: Technical experts responsible for SharePoint configuration and data management.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Assess the current SharePoint environment (site collections, permissions, content types, etc.).
    • Identify active and inactive sites for archiving.
    • Execute archiving processes, including data extraction and migration to the archive solution.
    • Ensure data integrity and security during the archiving process.
    • Test and validate archived data to ensure accessibility and compliance.

4. IT Infrastructure Team

  • Role: Manages the underlying infrastructure supporting SharePoint and the archiving solution.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Ensure server, storage, and network capacity for archiving processes.
    • Configure and maintain the archiving platform (e.g., cloud storage, on-premises archive systems).
    • Implement security protocols, such as encryption and access controls, for archived data.
    • Monitor system performance and troubleshoot technical issues during the project.

5. Information Governance/Compliance Officer

  • Role: Ensures the archiving process adheres to legal, regulatory, and organizational policies.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Define retention policies and data lifecycle management rules for SharePoint content.
    • Ensure compliance with regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, or industry-specific standards).
    • Review and approve archiving procedures to ensure data is preserved appropriately.
    • Audit archived data to verify compliance with retention and deletion schedules.
    • Advise on handling sensitive or confidential data.

6. Departmental Stakeholders (Business Unit Leaders or Representatives)

  • Role: Represent the needs and priorities of their respective departments.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Identify critical SharePoint sites, documents, and workflows within their department.
    • Provide input on which data should be archived, retained, or deleted.
    • Communicate department-specific requirements, such as access needs or compliance concerns.
    • Validate archived data to ensure it meets business needs.
    • Support change management by training or informing end-users about the archiving process.

7. End-User Representatives

  • Role: Provide insights into how SharePoint sites are used day-to-day.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Share feedback on site usage, critical content, and potential pain points.
    • Participate in testing archived data to ensure usability and accessibility.
    • Assist with user acceptance testing (UAT) to confirm the archived content meets expectations.
    • Help communicate changes to other end-users within their department.

8. Data Analyst or Records Manager

  • Role: Analyzes SharePoint content to determine what should be archived.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Conduct content audits to categorize data (e.g., active, obsolete, or redundant).
    • Identify metadata requirements for archived content to ensure searchability.
    • Recommend data cleanup or deduplication strategies before archiving.
    • Support the creation of an archiving taxonomy or structure.

9. Change Management/Training Lead

  • Role: Manages the human side of the project, ensuring smooth adoption.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Develop a communication plan to inform employees about the archiving project.
    • Create training materials for accessing archived content.
    • Address user concerns and manage resistance to change.
    • Conduct training sessions or workshops for end-users and administrators.
    • Gather feedback post-implementation to improve user experience.

10. Information Security Officer

  • Role: Ensures the security of data during and after the archiving process.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Review and enforce security policies for archived data (e.g., access controls, encryption).
    • Conduct risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities.
    • Monitor for data breaches or unauthorized access during the project.
    • Ensure compliance with cybersecurity standards.

11. Vendor or Third-Party Consultant (Optional)

  • Role: Provides expertise or tools for archiving, especially if using a third-party archiving solution.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Assist with selecting and implementing an archiving platform (e.g., AvePoint, ShareGate, or Microsoft Purview).
    • Provide technical support for integrating the archiving solution with SharePoint.
    • Offer best practices for large-scale SharePoint archiving projects.
    • Train IT staff or administrators on the archiving tool.

12. Legal Team (Optional, depending on industry)

  • Role: Provides legal guidance on data retention and compliance.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Advise on legal requirements for data retention and destruction.
    • Review contracts with third-party vendors for archiving solutions.
    • Ensure the archiving process aligns with litigation hold requirements, if applicable.

Additional Considerations for Role Assignments

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ensure regular meetings or a steering committee that includes representatives from IT, compliance, and business units to align on goals and progress.
  • Scalability: For large enterprises, consider appointing sub-project managers for each department or region to manage localized archiving efforts.
  • Tool-Specific Expertise: If using a specific archiving tool, ensure at least one team member (e.g., SharePoint Admin or IT) is trained on its functionality.
  • Stakeholder Buy-In: Engage departmental stakeholders early to avoid resistance and ensure their needs are addressed.

Sample Workflow for Role Integration

  1. Planning Phase:
    • Project Sponsor and Project Manager define scope and objectives.
    • Information Governance Officer and Legal Team establish compliance requirements.
    • SharePoint Administrators and Data Analysts audit content to identify what to archive.
  2. Execution Phase:
    • SharePoint Administrators and IT Infrastructure Team implement the archiving process.
    • Departmental Stakeholders validate data to be archived.
    • Information Security Officer ensures data security during transfer.
  3. Post-Implementation Phase:
    • Change Management Lead trains users on accessing archived data.
    • Compliance Officer audits the archived content for adherence to policies.
    • Project Manager reports outcomes to the Project Sponsor and closes the project.

By involving these roles with clearly defined responsibilities, the organization can ensure a structured, compliant, and efficient SharePoint archiving project that meets both technical and business needs.

Planning and Execution

1. Project Overview

Objective: To systematically archive multiple SharePoint sites across various departments within the organization to preserve data, ensure compliance, optimize performance, and reduce storage costs.

Scope:

  • Archive inactive or low-usage SharePoint sites across all departments.
  • Ensure compliance with organizational data retention policies and legal requirements.
  • Maintain accessibility to archived data for authorized users.
  • Minimize disruption to active sites and ongoing operations.

Stakeholders:

  • IT Department (project lead, technical execution)
  • Department Heads (content owners, approval authority)
  • Compliance Team (regulatory oversight)
  • End Users (access to archived data as needed)
  • Project Sponsor (executive oversight)

Timeline: Estimated 6-8 months, depending on the number of sites and complexity.

2. Planning Phase

2.1. Define Objectives and Requirements

  • Goals:
    • Archive inactive SharePoint sites to free up storage and improve system performance.
    • Ensure archived data is secure, searchable, and accessible for compliance or historical purposes.
    • Document the process for future reference and scalability.
  • Requirements:
    • Identify sites eligible for archiving (e.g., no activity for 12+ months).
    • Ensure compliance with data retention policies (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, or internal policies).
    • Select an archiving solution (e.g., SharePoint native archiving, third-party tools like AvePoint, ShareGate, or cloud storage like Azure Blob Storage).
    • Define access controls for archived data.
    • Establish backup and recovery protocols.

2.2. Inventory and Assessment

  • Site Inventory:
    • Use SharePoint Admin Center or PowerShell scripts to generate a comprehensive list of all SharePoint sites.
    • Categorize sites by department, usage, size, and last modified date.
    • Example PowerShell command to list sites:
  • Departmental Coordination:
    • Engage department heads to confirm which sites are inactive or can be archived.
    • Identify critical sites that require exemptions (e.g., legal holds, ongoing projects).
  • Risk Assessment:
    • Evaluate risks such as data loss, unauthorized access, or compliance violations.
    • Assess impact on users (e.g., loss of access to frequently used documents).

2.3. Select Archiving Solution

  • Options:
    • SharePoint Native Archiving: Use site collection policies to set retention and export sites to a designated archive library.
    • Third-Party Tools: Tools like AvePoint, ShareGate, or Metalogix for advanced archiving, metadata preservation, and reporting.
    • Cloud Storage: Archive to Azure Blob Storage or AWS S3 for cost-effective, long-term storage.
  • Criteria for Selection:
    • Cost (licensing, storage).
    • Compatibility with SharePoint Online/On-Premises.
    • Ability to preserve metadata, permissions, and version history.
    • Searchability and retrieval capabilities.
  • Recommendation: Use a third-party tool like AvePoint for robust metadata preservation and compliance features, supplemented by Azure Blob Storage for cost efficiency.

2.4. Develop Archiving Policy

  • Criteria for Archiving:
    • Sites inactive for 12+ months (based on LastContentModifiedDate).
    • Sites with no active workflows or dependencies.
    • Sites approved for archiving by department heads.
  • Retention Periods:
    • General documents: 7 years (or per organizational policy).
    • Legal/compliance documents: As per regulatory requirements (e.g., 10+ years for financial records).
  • Access Controls:
    • Read-only access for authorized users.
    • Role-based access control (RBAC) for archived data.
  • Deletion Policy:
    • Post-retention deletion with approval from compliance team.

2.5. Resource Planning

  • Team:
    • Project Manager: Oversees planning, execution, and communication.
    • SharePoint Administrator: Executes technical archiving tasks.
    • Department Representatives: Provide input on site usage and priorities.
    • Compliance Officer: Ensures regulatory adherence.
  • Tools:
    • SharePoint Admin Center, PowerShell, third-party archiving tools.
    • Storage: Azure Blob Storage or equivalent.
  • Budget:
    • Licensing costs for third-party tools.
    • Cloud storage costs.
    • Staff training or external consultant fees (if needed).

3. Execution Phase

3.1. Preparation

  • Communication Plan:
    • Notify all departments about the archiving project, timeline, and impact.
    • Provide FAQs and a point of contact for questions.
    • Example communication: “Starting [date], we will archive inactive SharePoint sites to optimize performance. Contact [email] for questions.”
  • Backup:
    • Perform a full backup of all SharePoint sites using native SharePoint backup or third-party tools.
    • Verify backup integrity before proceeding.
  • Test Environment:
    • Set up a sandbox environment to test the archiving process on a small subset of sites.
    • Validate metadata preservation, access controls, and data retrieval.

3.2. Archiving Process

  • Step-by-Step:
    1. Identify Sites for Archiving:
      • Use inventory data to filter sites based on archiving criteria.
      • Obtain department head approval for each site.
    2. Export Sites:
      • Use third-party tool or PowerShell to export sites, including content, metadata, and permissions.
    3. Transfer to Archive Storage:
      • Move exported data to designated storage (e.g., Azure Blob Storage).
      • Ensure encryption and access controls are applied.
    4. Update Permissions:
      • Set read-only access for authorized users.
      • Remove access for non-essential users.
    5. Deactivate Sites:
      • Lock or delete original sites from SharePoint after successful archiving (post-verification).
  • Batch Processing:
    • Archive sites in batches (e.g., by department or site size) to minimize disruption.
    • Example: Start with smaller, less critical sites to refine the process.

3.3. Validation

  • Verify Archive Integrity:
    • Check that all content, metadata, and permissions are preserved in the archive.
    • Test retrieval of sample files to ensure accessibility.
  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT):
    • Allow department representatives to test access to archived data.
    • Address any issues (e.g., missing files, incorrect permissions).

4. Monitoring and Management

4.1. Post-Archiving Monitoring

  • Access Logs:
    • Monitor who accesses archived data to ensure compliance with access controls.
    • Use tools like Azure Monitor or third-party auditing features.
  • Storage Usage:
    • Track storage consumption in the archive to manage costs.
    • Example: Set alerts for storage thresholds in Azure Blob Storage.
  • Performance:
    • Monitor SharePoint performance post-archiving to confirm improvements (e.g., reduced load times).

4.2. Ongoing Management

  • Maintenance:
    • Regularly review archived data to enforce retention policies.
    • Schedule periodic integrity checks of archived data.
  • Access Requests:
    • Establish a process for users to request access to archived data (e.g., via IT service desk).
    • Example: Use a ticketing system like ServiceNow to track requests.
  • Updates to Policy:
    • Revise archiving criteria or retention periods based on organizational changes or new regulations.

4.3. Reporting

  • Regular Reports:
    • Generate monthly reports on archived sites, storage usage, and access activity.
    • Share with stakeholders (IT, compliance, department heads).
  • Compliance Audits:
    • Conduct quarterly audits to ensure archived data meets regulatory requirements.
    • Document findings and remediation steps.

5. Risk Management

  • Data loss during archiving
  • Perform full backups
  • Test archiving in sandbox
  • Unauthorized access to archived data
  • Non-compliance with regulations
  • Involve compliance team in planning
  • Audit archives.
  • User resistance to archiving
  • Communicate benefits; involve departments early.
  • Tool failure or incompatibility
  • Test tools in sandbox
  • Have fallback options

6. Milestones

  • Planning
    • Define objectives
    • Inventory sites
    • Select archiving solution
    • Develop policy
  • Execution
    • Backup and test environment
    • Archive first batch of sites
    • Archive remaining batches
  • Validation
    • UAT
    • Monitoring
    • Implement monitoring

7. Communication Plan

  • Kickoff Meeting: Introduce project to stakeholders, outline objectives, and set expectations (09/01/2025).
  • Regular Updates:
    • Weekly email updates to department heads and stakeholders.
    • Monthly progress reports to project sponsor.
  • Training:
    • Train IT staff on archiving tools and processes.
    • Provide user guides for accessing archived data.
  • Feedback Mechanism:
    • Set up a feedback channel (e.g., email, Microsoft Forms) for users to report issues or concerns.

8. Success Criteria

  • 100% of identified inactive sites archived without data loss.
  • Compliance with all relevant retention policies and regulations.
  • No significant disruptions to active SharePoint sites.
  • Positive feedback from at least 80% of department heads during UAT.
  • Reduction in SharePoint storage usage by at least 20% (or as per organizational goals).

9. Appendices

9.1. Tools and Resources

  • SharePoint Admin Center: For site management and reporting.
  • PowerShell Scripts: For site inventory and export.
  • Third-Party Tools: AvePoint, ShareGate, or Metalogix.
  • Storage: Azure Blob Storage, AWS S3.
  • Documentation: Microsoft SharePoint documentation, compliance guidelines.

9.2. Sample Archiving Workflow

  1. Identify site for archiving.
  2. Notify department head and obtain approval.
  3. Back up site.
  4. Export site using third-party tool.
  5. Transfer to archive storage.
  6. Validate archive integrity.
  7. Lock/delete original site.
  8. Document process and update inventory.

Adjust timelines, tools, and policies based on specific organizational needs and feedback from stakeholders.

Reasons and Drivers

Introduction

SharePoint is widely used for document management, team sites, intranets, and data storage within organizations. As organizations accumulate data over time, managing active and inactive content becomes crucial. Archiving a SharePoint site involves moving inactive or infrequently accessed sites and their content to a lower-cost, secure storage tier while preserving metadata, permissions, and accessibility for future needs. This process does not delete data but relocates it to optimize resources.

This document explores the reasons why a SharePoint site might need to be archived and the specific drivers that necessitate this action, drawing from Microsoft documentation, best practices, and industry insights.

What is SharePoint Site Archiving?

SharePoint site archiving refers to the process of transitioning an entire site—including document libraries, files, lists, and metadata from active use to a preserved state. In Microsoft 365 Archive, for instance, archived sites are moved to a "cold" storage tier, where they no longer count toward the tenant's active storage quota but remain searchable and compliant. This allows organizations to retain data without impacting daily operations. Sites can be reactivated if needed, though reactivation may involve costs or delays depending on the setup.

Archiving differs from deletion or retention: retention policies (via Microsoft Purview) prevent deletion or alteration for a set period but keep data in active storage, while archiving actively reduces costs by shifting to cheaper tiers. Common methods include:

  • Setting sites to read-only via permissions.
  • Applying retention policies and then deleting (soft archive).
  • Exporting to local or cloud storage like Azure.
  • Using automation tools for seamless migration.

Key Reasons to Archive SharePoint Sites

Organizations archive SharePoint sites to address challenges related to data growth, resource constraints, and regulatory demands. Below are the primary reasons, supported by explanations and benefits.

1. Compliance and Legal Requirements

One of the most critical reasons to archive is to ensure adherence to regulatory standards. Organizations must retain records for specified periods to meet legal obligations, audits, or eDiscovery needs. Archiving preserves data in an immutable, auditable format without cluttering active environments.

  • Benefits: Maintains data integrity, supports legal holds, and enables quick retrieval for audits. For example, archiving ensures content is searchable via Microsoft Purview while in cold storage.
  • Examples: Financial records under SOX require 7+ years retention; healthcare data under HIPAA demands secure, immutable storage.

2. Storage Management and Cost Savings

SharePoint storage can escalate quickly, with costs reaching $0.20/GB/month for active data beyond licensed quotas. Archiving moves inactive sites to cheaper tiers (e.g., $0.05/GB/month in Azure Blob), freeing up active quota.

  • Benefits: Reduces unnecessary storage waste (25-30% of sites are often inactive), avoids additional licensing fees, and scales cost-effectively. For a 150 GB site archived for three years, savings can reach 75%.
  • Examples: Rarely accessed archive data (e.g., 800 GB accessed once a year) can be archived to cut six-figure annual bills.

3. Performance Optimization

Overloaded SharePoint environments lead to slower load times, search inefficiencies, and administrative overhead. Archiving declutters by removing inactive content, improving farm performance.

  • Benefits: Enhances search speed, reduces database bloat, and minimizes performance downgrades from duplicate or old content. It leaves minimal "stubs" or links in place for easy access.
  • Examples: Archiving old document versions frees space, preventing hardware strain.

4. Data Security and Integrity

Inactive sites pose risks if left editable, such as unauthorized changes or data breaches. Archiving limits write access, encrypts data, and ensures immutability.

  • Benefits: Protects legacy data integrity, reduces data loss from failures, and maintains permissions during reactivation. Supports disaster recovery through backups.
  • Examples: Use Write Once Read Many (WORM) storage for compliance-sensitive data.

5. Lifecycle Management

Sites often follow a lifecycle: creation, active use, inactivity, and archiving/deletion. Archiving aligns with structured policies for projects, departments, or employee transitions.

  • Benefits: Facilitates onboarding by preserving historical data, enables migration to other systems, and analyzes content classification. Automates based on triggers like inactivity periods.
  • Examples: Archive completed project sites after 12 months.

6. Improved User Experience and Collaboration

Cluttered environments hinder navigation and search. Archiving removes outdated content, making active sites more efficient.

  • Benefits: Enhances discoverability, supports external sharing (e.g., offline collaboration), and reduces search clutter. Users access archived data via stubs without disruption.
  • Examples: Better organization for large datasets, aiding team transitions.

Specific Drivers Associated with Archiving SharePoint Sites

Drivers are the triggering factors or conditions that prompt archiving. These can be internal (organizational policies) or external (regulations), often overlapping with reasons but more event-specific.

1. Regulatory Compliance Drivers

  • GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): Requires data retention for up to 10 years with defensible deletion; fines up to 4% of global turnover for non-compliance.
  • HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): Mandates secure retention of health records for 6+ years, with penalties up to $1.5M per violation.
  • SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act): Demands 7+ years retention for financial records; archiving ensures auditability.
  • Other: FINRA, ISO 27001, NIST, Essential 8 (Australia)—drive archiving for traceability and governance.

2. Inactive or Aging Content

  • Sites unused for 12-36 months (e.g., after project completion) drive archiving to free space. Drivers include audits showing 25-30% inactivity.

3. Cost Escalation and Storage Limits

  • Exceeding licensed storage (e.g., 1 TB + 10 GB per user) triggers archiving to avoid $180-200/TB/month overages. Drivers: Rapid data growth from teams or mergers.

4. Project or Organizational Changes

  • End of projects, employee departures, or team restructurings drive archiving to preserve data for transitions or historical reference.

5. Performance and Security Incidents

  • Slowdowns from bloated databases or security risks (e.g., exposed inactive sites) prompt immediate archiving.

6. Disaster Recovery and Migration Needs

  • Preparing for backups, restores, or system migrations drives archiving to reduce risks and facilitate external sharing.

Best Practices for Implementation

To effectively archive:

  • Develop a policy with rules, exemptions, and audits.
  • Automate using retention policies or tools.
  • Monitor usage and review annually.
  • Use cloud solutions for scalability.

Conclusion

Archiving SharePoint sites is essential for sustainable data management in modern organizations. It addresses key challenges like compliance, costs, and performance while driven by specific factors such as regulations and inactivity. By implementing archiving strategically, organizations can preserve valuable data, optimize resources, and ensure long-term efficiency.

«   »