Article Summary
This article explains the difference between retention and backup of commonly used College systems and provides a quick reference for how long the information is retained or available for recovery.
Applies To
Employees, Students
Reference
Use the information below as a quick reference. Retention or backup availability does not replace good records-management practices, and recovery may depend on when an item was deleted, changed, or removed from the system.
Retention and Backup: What Is the Difference?
Retention: The period information is preserved before it may be permanently deleted. Active content may be retained indefinitely, while deleted content may be retained for a defined period based on policy. Retained content may not be visible or directly recoverable by the user.
Backup: A copy of data maintained for recovery if the original is lost, deleted, or damaged. Backups are accessible by authorized ITS administrators and are not intended for routine file storage. Backup copies are retained for a defined period, as outlined below.
In short: Retention determines how long information is preserved; backup determines how long a recovery copy may be available.
Standard Retention and Backup Periods
|
Service or Location
|
Designation
|
How Long Information May Be Available
|
|
College email
|
Retention
|
Email in the active system currently has no set retention limit. Archived email is retained for 10 years.
|
|
Microsoft Teams
|
Retention
|
Teams content is retained for 2 years.
|
|
OneDrive
|
Backup / recovery
|
Backup copies are retained for 1 year.
Deleted items may be recoverable from the recycle bin for up to 90 days.
|
|
SharePoint
|
Backup / recovery
|
Backup copies are retained for 1 year.
Deleted items may be recoverable from the recycle bin for up to 90 days.
|
|
Network Drives
(G and H)
|
Backup
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Backup copies are retained for 1 year.
Students do not have access to the G drive.
|
|
Network Drives (P)
|
Backup
|
Backup copies are retained for 90 days.
Students do not have access to the P drive.
|
Important User Considerations
- Retention and backup periods describe the maximum standard period that data may be preserved or recoverable. Recovery depends on the availability of the requested data within the applicable period.
- Recycle-bin recovery and backup recovery are different. An item may no longer appear in the recycle bin but could still be within a backup period and require ITS assistance.
- Files stored only on a computer hard drive, USB drive, or external drive are not backed up by ITS. Store important College data in an approved College system or network location with a “Backup” designation, as listed above.
- Users should not rely on deleted-items folders, recycle bins, or backups as permanent storage.
Additional Information / Need More Help?
Tech Support Contact Information & Hours
III.3001.J, Records Management
III.3001.J.a, Records Management