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Gareth Bennett • November 6, 2025

For IT leaders managing large-scale Microsoft 365 environments, SharePoint is both a productivity powerhouse and a growing challenge. As collaboration expands, so does the amount of data, much of which must be stored, secured, and retained for 10 years or longer. Over time, this accumulation drives up storage costs, slows operational efficiency, and increases compliance complexity.

The question isn’t whether to retain this data, it’s where and how to keep it usable and compliant without overloading SharePoint.

Keeping years of inactive or long-term archival files in live libraries is like using premium office space for archived boxes, it’s expensive and inefficient. Optimizing SharePoint storage creates an environment that’s faster, easier to govern, and far less costly to maintain. Specifically, organizations can focus on:

• Reducing storage costs: Move rarely accessed long-term data to lower-cost, but still accessible, repositories
• Boosting efficiency: Leaner libraries and better indexing improve performance, while users can still self-serve relevant information when needed
• Simplifying compliance: Automating lifecycle management to enforce retention and audit policies consistently across environments

For most enterprises, long-term or permanent records can’t simply be deleted or sent to cold storage. They must remain accessible, trustworthy, and usable throughout their retention lifecycle. That’s why we developed aDigital Preservation archive, embedded in Microsoft 365, giving organizations the tools to securely and automatically archive SharePoint content at scale, while maintaining file readability for as long as required.

This embedded capability delivers five distinct strategic payoffs for CIOs:

• Improved ROI on Microsoft 365: A leaner infrastructure, lower storage spend, and cleaner information architecture, even as data volumes grow
• Sustained performance at scale: Automation keeps SharePoint lean and focused on active, frequently accessed content
• Guaranteed long-term usability: Active Digital Preservation safeguards file integrity, readability, and accessibility over time
• Improved access to archived files: Authorized business users can access archived content directly within SharePoint, no need to leave the Microsoft 365 environment
• Simplified compliance: Long-term information can be archived, managed, and retained automatically, according to policy, all centrally within Microsoft 365, even as it moves out of live storage

When it comes to managing long-term SharePoint data, an integrated Microsoft 365-first approach allows IT leaders to control SharePoint storage growth without compromising security, compliance, or accessibility, while ensuring vital long-term files remain usable for decades to come.

Learn more:

• Preserve365®
• Active Digital Preservation™
• Get in touch