New data retention labels will support storage management 

From: Division of Information Technology

Beginning July 21, the university will introduce Data Retention labels across Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace services, including email, OneDrive, and departmental shared resources. Data Retention labels control how long content is stored. The use of these labels is optional. Employees are encouraged to consult with their departmental records coordinators to determine how these labels can best complement existing retention practices.

What this means for you:

• You may choose to apply a retention label when creating new documents or emails, or when reviewing and organizing existing files.
• Files with a retention label will be held for a fixed number of years based on the chosen label.
• File owners can change or remove the retention labels at any time.
• When the expiration date for a file content is reached, retention labels will result in different actions depending on the collaboration platform used:
  • In the Google Workspace environment, adding a retention label to a file will auto-delete that file upon its expiration.
  • In the Microsoft 365 environment, adding a retention label to a file will trigger a review by a records coordinator to determine next steps.
• Departments do not need to complete a Certificate of Records Destruction for records deleted by a retention label. Contact the Records Management Office for more information.
• Additional details, including guidance on when and how to use Data Retention labels, are available in the 4Help Knowledge Base article titled: What are Retention Labels?

If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to 4Help IT Support online at 4help.vt.edu, or by phone at 540-231-4357.