Tutorial / Cram Notes
Understanding Retention Policies in Microsoft 365
Retention policies in Microsoft 365 help organizations to maintain their important information for a required duration and to dispose of it when it’s no longer needed. These policies are flexible and can be set according to regulatory, legal, or organizational information governance requirements.
Types of Retention Policies
- Retention policies: Applied at a broad level to preserve content in Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Teams, etc.
- Retention labels: More granular, allowing for different policies to be applied to different types of content within the same location or application.
| Retention Options | Description |
|---|---|
| Retain | Preserves content for a specified period or indefinitely. |
| Delete | Specifies that content should be permanently deleted after a certain period. |
| Retain and then delete | Holds onto content for a specified period and then deletes it. |
By setting up these policies, admins ensure that certain data is held for eDiscovery or compliance reasons. If content is accidentally deleted or needed for legal reasons, it can be recovered as long as the retention period has not expired.
Recovery of Content in Microsoft 365
To recover content that’s been retained in Microsoft 365, follow these steps.
Recovering Items in Exchange Online
- Recoverable Items folder: Users can recover items from the ‘Deleted Items’ or ‘Recoverable Items’ folder in their mailbox.
- eDiscovery: Use eDiscovery cases to search and place content on hold for legal cases.
Recovering Documents in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business
- Preservation Hold library: When a document is edited or deleted, a copy is retained in the Preservation Hold library if a retention policy is applied.
- Versioning: SharePoint and OneDrive keep versions of documents, allowing restoration of earlier versions.
Restoring Content in Microsoft Teams
- Files: Files shared in Teams are stored in SharePoint or OneDrive, and the same recovery methods apply.
- Chat and channel messages: Retained by the retention policies; these can be searched for and recovered through eDiscovery.
Using eDiscovery for Advanced Recovery
For more advanced recovery scenarios, especially for Compliance or Legal reasons, eDiscovery tools are essential for any Information Protection Administrator.
Steps for Recovery using eDiscovery
- Create an eDiscovery case: Define the scope of your content search and legal hold requirements.
- Search for content: Use the eDiscovery search tool to find the content you need to recover.
- Export the results: After reviewing, you can export the content outside of Microsoft 365 for further analysis or recovery actions.
Automation and Monitoring of Retention Policies
Automation enhances the ability to maintain and recover content in Microsoft 365.
Auto-apply Retention Labels
Retention labels can be auto-applied based on specific conditions, such as content containing certain keywords or sensitive information. This automation ensures that the right policies are consistently applied, reducing the risk of manual errors.
Monitoring with the Compliance Center
Using the Microsoft 365 compliance center, administrators can monitor the application of retention policies, identify items that are nearing the end of their retention period, and take action as needed.
In conclusion, an effective recovery strategy within Microsoft 365 integrates retention policies with recovery tools such as the ‘Recoverable Items’ folder in Exchange, the Preservation Hold Library in SharePoint, and eDiscovery searches. The Microsoft Information Protection Administrator has a suite of tools and policies at their disposal to ensure that content is protected, compliant, and recoverable when necessary.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: To recover retained content within Microsoft 365, you must have eDiscovery Manager permissions.
- Answer: True
eDiscovery Manager permissions are required to access the content search and eDiscovery features in Microsoft 365, which are used to recover retained content.
What is the minimum license requirement to perform searches for retained content in Microsoft 365?
- A) Microsoft 365 E3
- B) Microsoft 365 E5
- C) Office 365 E1
- D) Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Answer: A) Microsoft 365 E3
Microsoft 365 E3 includes the necessary compliance features for retained content recovery, although certain advanced features might only be available with an E5 subscription.
True or False: Microsoft 365’s retention policies automatically delete content at the end of the retention period without any possibility of recovery.
- Answer: False
Retention policies in Microsoft 365 may keep the content for a specified period and then delete it, but there is usually a retention period for the deleted content during which recovery is possible.
To recover items from an Exchange Online mailbox, you would use:
- A) SharePoint Online management shell
- B) Security & Compliance Center
- C) Azure Active Directory admin center
- D) Teams admin center
Answer: B) Security & Compliance Center
The Security & Compliance Center contains tools for content search and eDiscovery, which can be used to recover items from an Exchange Online mailbox.
True or False: You can use the “Content Search” feature to find and recover content from all Microsoft 365 services.
- Answer: True
The “Content Search” feature in the Security & Compliance Center can be used to search across various Microsoft 365 services like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Teams.
True or False: When a user permanently deletes an item from their OneDrive, it’s instantly erased and cannot be recovered from the retention hold library.
- Answer: False
When a user permanently deletes an item from their OneDrive, it’s not instantly erased if there’s a retention policy in place. It may be moved to the Preservation Hold library where it can be recovered until the end of the retention period.
Which role group must you be assigned to perform content searches within the Microsoft 365 compliance center?
- A) Global Administrator
- B) Compliance Administrator
- C) eDiscovery Manager
- D) Security Reader
Answer: C) eDiscovery Manager
The eDiscovery Manager role group has permissions to perform content searches relevant to eDiscovery requests in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
True or False: Microsoft 365 retention labels must be manually applied to content for recovery purposes.
- Answer: False
Retention labels can be applied manually or automatically based on rules and conditions set in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
What tool would you use to recover deleted content from Microsoft Teams?
- A) Compliance center
- B) Teams admin center
- C) Azure portal
- D) Exchange admin center
Answer: A) Compliance center
The Microsoft 365 compliance center provides the tools necessary for content search and recovery, which includes recovering content from Microsoft Teams.
True or False: Retained email content can be recovered even if a user’s mailbox is deleted.
- Answer: True
Retained email content can still be recovered through eDiscovery and retention policies even if the mailbox itself is deleted, as the data is held in a recoverable state within the retention period set by the policy.
When using Microsoft 365 retention policies, what happens to the content when the retention period ends?
- A) Content is automatically retained indefinitely.
- B) Content is automatically deleted or subject to a disposition review.
- C) Content is archived in a third-party system.
- D) Content becomes publicly accessible.
Answer: B) Content is automatically deleted or subject to a disposition review.
When a retention period ends, content is typically deleted automatically or a review can be triggered (disposition review) before final deletion, as per the settings of the retention policy.
True or False: The audit log search is a tool used for recovering retained content in Microsoft
- Answer: False
The audit log search is used for tracking user activities and changes within the Microsoft 365 environment, not for recovering retained content. However, it can provide insights into what happened to the content.
Interview Questions
What is retention in Microsoft 365 compliance?
Retention is a feature in Microsoft 365 compliance that allows organizations to keep and manage content for a specified period.
How can you recover deleted content with retention policies for Microsoft Teams?
You can recover deleted content by searching for the content in the Microsoft Teams compliance center and restoring it.
What is Network Upload?
Network Upload is a tool that enables you to import PST files to Microsoft 365 using a network share.
How can you recover an inactive mailbox?
You can recover an inactive mailbox by reactivating it in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
What is the difference between an inactive mailbox and a deleted mailbox?
An inactive mailbox is a mailbox that has been placed on retention hold, while a deleted mailbox is a mailbox that has been permanently deleted.
How can you restore an inactive mailbox?
You can restore an inactive mailbox by reactivating it and then exporting the mailbox data to a PST file.
What are the benefits of using retention policies for Microsoft Teams?
Retention policies for Microsoft Teams allow organizations to preserve content for a specified period and protect against data loss or corruption.
What is the difference between a retention label and a retention policy?
A retention label is applied to individual items or documents, while a retention policy applies to an entire site, mailbox, or Microsoft Teams channel.
How can you manage retention policies in Microsoft 365 compliance?
You can manage retention policies in the Microsoft 365 compliance center by creating, modifying, and deleting retention policies.
How can you view and manage retention labels in Microsoft 365 compliance?
You can view and manage retention labels in the Microsoft 365 compliance center by creating, modifying, and deleting retention labels.
How can you import PST files to Microsoft 365?
You can import PST files to Microsoft 365 using tools such as Network Upload, Azure Storage, or the Microsoft 365 Import service.
How can you monitor and track retention policies in Microsoft 365?
You can monitor and track retention policies in the Microsoft 365 compliance center by viewing the retention reports and alerts.
How can you ensure compliance with retention policies in Microsoft 365?
You can ensure compliance with retention policies in Microsoft 365 by regularly reviewing and updating the policies and monitoring compliance with the policies.
How can you recover deleted content from an inactive mailbox?
You can recover deleted content from an inactive mailbox by exporting the mailbox data to a PST file and then importing the PST file back into the mailbox.
How can you manage retention policies for Microsoft Teams channels?
You can manage retention policies for Microsoft Teams channels by creating and assigning retention policies to specific channels in the Teams admin center.
Great article on recovering retained content in Microsoft 365! Does anyone have tips for handling large volumes of data?
This information is really helpful! Thanks!
When I tried recovering content, I faced issues with non-indexed items. Any suggestions?
The Data Investigations feature in Microsoft 365 Compliance is a lifesaver for retained content.
Appreciate the detailed guide, very informative!
I found that applying retention labels to specific documents helps in later recovery.
This post didn’t cover the specifics I was looking for on restoring emails. Could have been more detailed.
Ensuring compliance with data retention policies is crucial. Has anyone automated this process?