FOI request (FOIR-509678473)

Microsoft Office 365 Information Governance Research

To all information governance managers or those with practical experience of rolling out Microsoft 365 with E3 licences and/or, where E5 licence functionalities have been purchased to address E3 licence limitations.

We are in the deep throes of migrating our services over to Microsoft 365 and are addressing some of the practical Information Governance aspects of using the environment, which no doubt has been a source of headache for many, but something we all must tackle. To help formulate our organisation's decision making regarding certain record lifecycle approaches and improve understanding, we are keen to learn from other organisations' experiences and especially from those that have moved to Microsoft 365 but have not yet moved data to the cloud and the issues surrounding this.

We therefore would be most grateful for any answers you can provide to our research questions below. All responses will be used for internal business planning purposes only. We appreciate that none of the answers given constitutes advice or recommendations but shared insights.

Many thanks in advance for your time.

Questions

1. Prior to introduction to Microsoft 365, did any assessment of data and retention practices take place? If, yes, please expand? How does an early assessment of data storage impact your chosen process and scope of work?

2. What approaches were considered for introducing Microsoft 365 Information Governance retention?

3. Working out of an Microsoft 365 environment, what approach was recommended and why?

4. If Information Governance retention was introduced, at what stage did you introduce it? For example, was it introduced once people were migrated to Microsoft 365, on migration day 1, or at a later date?

5. How was Microsoft 365 Information Governance retention introduced and by whom? What team(s) owned the transformation?

6. How has Microsoft 365 Information Governance retention changed over time?

7. What training or coaching was rolled out to support teams?

8. What effect does daily use of Microsoft 365 Information Governance retention have on typical users, management, leadership?

9. Did you have any external support in introducing Microsoft 365 Information Governance retention? If so, who and at what cost?

10. If you introduced Microsoft 365 retention, did you introduce it for shared data only or shared data, plus Exchange and OneDrive?

11. If any key lessons or takeaways were captured in introducing Microsoft 365 retention, can you share them?

12. Can any plans be shared to show what areas were impacted in delivering Microsoft 365 retention?

13. What challenges has the organisation faced in selecting an approach for Microsoft 365 retention?

14. What are the most effective communication strategies for involving end users with the transformation? How were communications prepared and delivered? Can you share examples?

15. What are the key advantages and disadvantages of introducing your approach?

16. How effective has your chosen approach been?

17. How can your chosen approach to Microsoft 365 retention be improved?

18. How does Microsoft 365 Information Governance retention influence data management for shared data and emails?

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Response

The Freedom of Information Act is based on recorded information held by a local authority. It is not a tool to ask questions.

Your request is simply asking questions therefore, falls outside the remit of the Act.