Start automating SharePoint archiving sooner with scheduled rules in Preserve365®
Records teams usually know which records need to go to the archive and when. SharePoint estates are rarely tidy, but some records, such as meeting minutes, board papers and project files, tend to land in consistent folders with a known retention period. That makes them a good place to start. The challenge is moving them to the archive every time, once their active use ends.
In many organizations, that still falls to a records manager checking folders by hand.
Automation at the right scale
Microsoft Purview and Power Automate give organizations powerful tools to govern records across Microsoft 365. Rolling them out is a records governance program in its own right, with planning, skills and agreement across IT, legal and records teams.
Many records teams want to start automating archival transfers now. Some are planning a wider program, some have one underway, and some need something lighter for a defined set of records.
Introducing automated preservation rules
Preserve365 can now move or copy SharePoint files into Preservica automatically, a set period after each file's created or last modified date. Rules are set and managed in Preserve365, so you're not reliant on Microsoft Purview retention labels or Power Automate flows to get started.
How it works
1) Create a rule
In the Preserve365 admin app, a records manager chooses the trigger (created date or last modified date), the delay (a number of months or years) and the action (move or copy).
Creating a rule in the Preserve365 admin app: move files 7 years after their created date.
2) Apply it to a folder
From the Preserve365 panel in SharePoint, anyone with the right permission applies the rule to the folder where those records are filed. Everyone who opens the panel on that folder can see which rule is in place.
Applying a rule from the Preserve365 panel in SharePoint: files in this folder are moved to the archive 7 years after their created date.
3) Let the scan do the work
A weekly scan checks each folder with a rule and sends matching files to Preservica. They go through the same archiving process as a manual transfer.
Records with a known lifecycle, archived on schedule
Across the public sector and regulated industries, many records follow a predictable path. They're created, used for a period, then kept for years or decades as evidence. Automated preservation rules move them out of SharePoint when their active use ends. For example:
- State and local government: Council, board and commission minutes move to the archive a set number of years after they're created, so the record of public decisions is kept without anyone tracking dates.
- Public transportation: Board materials, capital project files and safety certifications move to the archive on a fixed schedule, so transit agencies keep a clear record of how their network was planned, funded and maintained.
- Central government: Policy files and submissions move to the archive once they've left active use, and are held securely until they're reviewed for permanent preservation.
- Construction and engineering: Drawings, specifications and handover documents move to the archive once they've gone unchanged for a set period, ready for the maintenance, audit and safety teams who need them for the life of the asset.
- Estate and asset management: Inspection, survey and environmental reports for every building and site move to the archive on a fixed schedule, keeping the history of each asset on record for as long as it's owned and operated.
- Oil and gas: Pipeline, well and inspection records move to the archive after a set period without changes, so integrity records stay available for as long as the asset is in operation.
- Nuclear: Design, testing and maintenance records move to the archive on a fixed schedule, supporting the long retention periods that come with operating and decommissioning a facility.
In each case, the rule's delay marks the end of a record's active use in SharePoint. Preservica can then hold the record for the rest of its retention period.
What it means for your team
- Get started with automation faster - Rules are set up in Preserve365, so records teams can automate archival transfers without first building a wider program.
- Stay compliant on an ongoing basis - Archiving keeps pace with your retention schedule, without anyone checking folders.
- Reduce SharePoint storage - Rules set to move take inactive long-term records out of SharePoint on a regular cycle, so IT can plan for storage growth.
- Keep control with records teams - Writing rules and applying them are separate permissions, so records managers own the rules while others apply them.
- Built for resiliency - See failures flagged in the admin app, resolve issues easily, and track every change in the System Audit Log.
A faster first step, with more to come
Automated preservation rules aren't a replacement for Microsoft Purview or Power Automate. Organizations already archiving with Purview retention labels can keep doing so with Retention label preservation in Preserve365.
Automated preservation rules are a faster way to get started. They give records teams date-based archiving for defined folders, so they can meet information governance requirements and reduce SharePoint storage now, alongside or ahead of a wider records governance program.
This is the first release of automated preservation rules. Rules will extend beyond created and last modified dates to other event-based triggers, bringing the same speed to start, ongoing compliance and storage benefits to more of the records you manage.
