Tutorial / Cram Notes
Creating and managing retention labels and label policies are essential parts of information governance in Microsoft 365, ensuring that data is retained or deleted according to organizational requirements and regulatory standards. Retention labels and policies help organizations control the lifecycle of their content and reduce risk associated with information that is either retained too long or not retained long enough. This article provides insights into planning and implementing retention labels and label policies, tailored to the MS-101 Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security exam insights.
Planning Retention Labels
Before implementing retention labels, you need to develop a clear understanding of your organization’s regulatory, legal, and business retention requirements.
Identify the types of information:
- Work with stakeholders to categorize information types based on sensitivity and importance.
- Determine which types of information require retention.
Define retention periods and actions:
- Assign specific retention durations for each type of information.
- Determine what happens when the retention period expires: should the information be deleted automatically, or should a review process be initiated?
Consider user experience:
- Determine whether retention labels should be applied automatically or if users will apply them manually.
- Plan for user training and communication about the new policies.
Creating Retention Labels
Once your plan is in place, you can begin creating retention labels in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
- Navigate to Microsoft 365 compliance center > Solutions > Information governance.
- Click ‘Labels’ and then ‘+Create a label’. Give the label a name, description, and configure the retention settings.
- Choose whether to retain content, delete content, or both, based on timeframes you define.
- Decide if you want the label to trigger a disposition review, where labeled content is reviewed before deletion.
- Publish the label – at this stage, the label isn’t applied to content until you publish it with a label policy.
Publishing Retention Labels with a Label Policy
The next step is to create a label policy to apply these labels to content across your organization.
- Navigate to Information governance > Labels > Label policies.
- Click ‘+Publish labels’ and select the labels you want to include in the policy.
- Choose the locations where the label policy applies, such as Exchange email, SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, etc.
- Set any rules needed for automatic application of labels, based on conditions such as content types, keywords, or sensitive information.
- Name your policy, review the settings, and publish it.
Comparison of Retention Label Options
| Feature | Automatic Application | Manual Application |
|---|---|---|
| Arduousness | Less effort for users; automatic rules | Requires user action to apply |
| Precision | Dependent on rule accuracy | Dependent on user precision |
| Control | High control by IT | Shared control with end-users |
| Ideal Use Case | High-volume data types | Sensitive or irregular content |
Testing and Adjusting Retention Labels and Policies
Before deploying these labels and policies across the entire organization, consider a pilot test with a selected group of users to ensure that the settings meet your needs and the system operates as expected.
Collect feedback on:
- User ease of applying manual labels (if applicable).
- Accuracy of automatic labeling rules.
- Impact on the workflow and daily operation.
Make necessary adjustments based on feedback and monitoring, then gradually roll out to the wider organization.
Monitoring and Maintaining Retention Labels and Policies
Once retention labels and policies are implemented, regular monitoring and maintenance are necessary.
Use the reporting feature in the compliance center to track:
- Label usage.
- Disposition activities.
- Modifications to labels and policies.
Adjust policies and labels as required. For example, legal or business requirements may change, necessitating updates to retention periods or actions.
In conclusion, carefully planning and implementing retention labels and label policies in Microsoft 365 is crucial for effective data governance and compliance. By understanding your organization’s requirements, creating and publishing appropriate labels and policies, and continually monitoring and adjusting those policies, you can maintain a balance between data retention for business and legal needs and the risk of retaining unnecessary information.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: Retention labels in Microsoft 365 can be applied automatically based on specific conditions or metadata.
- True
True
Retention labels can be applied automatically using policies that identify content based on specific conditions, such as content that contains certain keywords or sensitive information.
True or False: Once a retention label is published, it cannot be edited or deleted.
- False
False
A retention label can be edited or deleted after it’s published, but it will affect only the content to which the label hasn’t been applied yet.
Which of the following options are available when setting up a retention label? (Select all that apply)
- A) Retain the content forever
- B) Automatically delete the content after a certain period
- C) Start the retention period based on when the content was last modified
- D) Start the retention period based on an event
A, B, C, D
Retention labels can be configured to retain content forever, automatically delete content after a specified period, start retention based on the last modification date, or trigger retention periods based on specific events.
True or False: Retention labels must first be published before they can be applied to documents and emails.
- True
True
Retention labels need to be published through a label policy before they can be applied to content in Microsoft 365 services.
What is the purpose of a retention lock in a label policy?
- A) To prevent users from modifying the retention settings
- B) To encrypt the retention labels
- C) To lock down the ability to label content
- D) To lock records for compliance requirements
A
A retention lock prevents any changes to the retention settings in the label policy to ensure that the policy remains in compliance with regulations.
True or False: Retention labels have the same settings for retention and deletion across all Microsoft 365 services.
- False
False
Retention labels can have different settings for different Microsoft 365 services such as SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, and OneDrive for Business.
When a retention label is applied to an item, what happens to the item when the retention period expires?
- A) The item is automatically deleted
- B) The item is marked as a record
- C) The item is archived
- D) The item becomes immutable
A
When the retention period expires and if the label is set to delete the item, it will be automatically deleted.
True or False: Retention labels can be applied to both containers (like a SharePoint site) and individual items (like a document or email).
- True
True
Retention labels can be applied to containers, like a SharePoint site or an email folder, and individual items, like an individual document or email.
What is the file plan manager in Microsoft 365 compliance center used for?
- A) To grant users access to content
- B) To create and manage retention labels
- C) To design the structure of OneDrive for Business
- D) To generate compliance reports
B
The file plan manager in the Microsoft 365 compliance center is used to create and manage retention labels.
Which of the following actions can be automated with an adaptive retention policy? (Select all that apply)
- A) Classifying content as a record
- B) Deleting content after a specified period of inactivity
- C) Classifying content based on sensitive information types
- D) Encrypting content based on user roles
A, B, C
Adaptive retention policies can classify content as a record, delete content after a specified period of inactivity, and classify content based on sensitive information types. Encrypting content based on user roles is not a feature of adaptive retention policies.
True or False: You cannot apply a retention label to content that is already subject to a different retention policy.
- False
False
It’s possible to apply a retention label to content that is already subject to a different retention policy, but the label that results in the longest retention period will take precedence.
Which Microsoft 365 service does NOT support retention labels?
- A) Microsoft Teams
- B) SharePoint Online
- C) Microsoft To-Do
- D) Exchange Online
C
Microsoft To-Do does not currently support retention labels, while Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, and Exchange Online do support them.
Interview Questions
What are retention labels in Microsoft 365 Compliance?
Retention labels in Microsoft 365 Compliance are used to classify data for long-term preservation and protection, based on its value and legal requirements.
How can you apply retention labels in Microsoft 365?
Retention labels can be applied automatically using retention policies or manually by users, to label content as records or to delete it when it is no longer needed.
What are label policies in Microsoft 365?
Label policies are used to centrally manage retention labels across an organization, and to enforce consistent retention and deletion policies for information across Microsoft 365.
What is the difference between retention labels and retention policies?
Retention labels classify and apply retention settings to individual documents and items, while retention policies define retention settings for an entire location or data type.
What is the retention period?
The retention period is the amount of time that data is retained before it is deleted or destroyed, based on the retention settings applied.
How can you manage retention labels in Microsoft 365?
Retention labels can be managed through the Security and Compliance Center in Microsoft 365, where you can create, edit, and delete labels, as well as view reports on label usage.
How can you enforce retention label policies in Microsoft 365?
Retention label policies can be enforced through the Security and Compliance Center, by creating label policies and publishing them to users or groups.
What is the difference between a retention label and a sensitivity label?
Retention labels are used to classify data based on its value and legal requirements, while sensitivity labels are used to classify data based on its sensitivity or confidentiality level.
How can you create a retention label policy in Microsoft 365?
A retention label policy can be created by defining a label policy name, selecting the retention labels to include, and setting retention and deletion settings for each label.
What happens to data that has a retention label applied when it reaches the end of its retention period?
When data with a retention label applied reaches the end of its retention period, it is deleted or destroyed, depending on the retention settings applied.
Can anyone explain the benefits of using retention labels and label policies in Microsoft 365?
I’ve been trying to implement label policies but keep getting errors. Any tips?
What is the difference between a retention label and a sensitivity label?
Great blog post, very informative.
Can I apply a retention label to a SharePoint site?
Implementing label policies has helped us greatly in terms of compliance.
Any idea on how to monitor the effectiveness of these label policies?
Thanks for the detailed explanation on label policies!