How to Implement Effective Digital Preservation in SharePoint

Are you looking for a way to ensure the integrity and accessibility of your electronic documents and records over time? SharePoint, developed by Microsoft, is a versatile platform that offers robust solutions for managing and preserving digital assets. This is particularly crucial in the realm of legal documents and records management, often known as legal archiving.

To effectively implement digital preservation in SharePoint, it's important to understand both the technical capabilities of the platform and the legal requirements that govern digital records.

What is Legal Archiving?

Legal archiving refers to the process of preserving documents that have legal significance, ensuring they remain accessible and unaltered for the duration of their legally mandated retention period. In the context of digital preservation, this involves safeguarding electronic documents in a way that they can be produced as evidence in legal proceedings, should the need arise.

Compliance with various regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or Sarbanes-Oxley, requires meticulous planning and execution when setting up a digital preservation system in SharePoint.

Planning Your SharePoint Digital Preservation Strategy

1. Assessment of Legal Requirements

Begin by identifying the legal requirements for the documents you need to archive. This includes understanding the types of records, their retention periods, and any specific security measures required by law. Legal requirements can vary significantly across different jurisdictions and industries, making it essential to tailor your archiving strategies to meet these specific demands.

2. Infrastructure and Storage

SharePoint offers a range of storage options that can be optimized for long-term preservation. Utilize SharePoint’s tiered storage management to economically store large volumes of documents while ensuring fast access to more frequently needed files. It’s crucial to select storage solutions that support immutability, where documents cannot be altered post-archival.

3. Data Integrity and Security

Implement robust security measures to protect archived documents from unauthorized access or tampering. This includes setting up access controls, encryption, and regular audits. SharePoint’s security model can be configured to meet stringent legal requirements, ensuring that both integrity and confidentiality are maintained.

Implementing Digital Preservation in SharePoint

1. Setting up Document Libraries

Create dedicated document libraries in SharePoint for storing legal archives. Configure metadata properties to include critical information such as retention periods, document types, and legal hold statuses. Utilizing SharePoint’s versioning features can also prove beneficial, allowing you to maintain records of all changes made to the documents.

2. Automating Retention Policies

Leverage SharePoint’s Information Management Policy features to automate the lifecycle of documents. Set up retention policies that automatically manage the review, retention, and disposal of documents based on predefined rules. This ensures compliance with legal requirements without necessitating manual oversight, reducing both risks and operational costs.

3. Regular Audits and Compliance Checks

Conduct regular audits to ensure that your digital preservation practices comply with legal standards. SharePoint can generate audit logs that provide detailed information about document access and actions taken, which are invaluable for compliance monitoring and reporting.

Utilizing Third-Party Tools and Add-ons

While SharePoint provides a solid foundation for digital preservation, its capabilities can be significantly enhanced with third-party tools and add-ons. These tools can offer advanced features like enhanced encryption, improved data loss prevention, and better compliance tracking. Carefully select tools that integrate seamlessly with SharePoint and meet the specific needs of legal archiving.

Conclusion

Implementing effective digital preservation within SharePoint, with the assistance of companies like Docbyte, requires a strategic approach that encompasses understanding legal requirements, leveraging SharePoint’s capabilities, and possibly integrating third-party tools. By ensuring that your digital preservation strategy is robust, compliant, and adaptable, you can safeguard your organization’s legal documents effectively, thus mitigating risks associated with non-compliance and data loss.