The University of Arkansas IT Services has identified a significant opportunity to reduce SharePoint storage consumption through a structured, phased approach to site lifecycle management. When a SharePoint site has not had any activity for 6 months, the following steps will occur:
- Site owners will receive up to 3 automated notifications, asking them to review and certify the site.
- Upon receiving the notification, any owner or admin can click "certify" to indicate that they want to keep the site. If a certified site has no activity for six months following certification, the process will begin again.
- Owners can also choose to delete the site. There is a link in the notification to instructions for deleting a SharePoint site.
- If no action is taken after 3 notifications, the site is set to read-only for 3 months. If an owner decides to start using the site again, it can be switched back through a TDX service request:
- After the read-only period expires, the site is automatically archived in cold storage. Sites can be retrieved from cold storage through a TDX service request.
- During this process, sites will be recoverable. No site will be permanently deleted.
Things to note:
- Only one owner is required to certify a site.
- To ensure your site is retained after a site is flagged inactive and an after email notification is sent, click the Certify site button in the email. Do not rely on site activity alone. Using or updating the site after a notification email may not be enough to stop the automated process.
- If you have questions or need help finding a SharePoint site, Team or an M365 Group, please submit a ticket.
Here are details from Microsoft's website:
Manage inactive sites using inactive site policies - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn