SharePoint Archiving
Do You Know What Your Inactive Data Is Costing You?
Most SharePoint Online environments carry numerous files that no one has opened in years. When you exceed included storage limits, Microsoft charges the same per-GB rate for idle content as it does for active collaboration files. Without a lifecycle layer, those costs compound month after month. IT doesn’t have the tools to easily identify or prioritize files, and finance can’t make informed decisions about storage-related budget requests.
REDUCE ONLINE STORAGE COSTS WITHOUT DISRUPTING HOW TEAMS WORK
The CTERA Solution for SharePoint Archiving helps organizations control data costs by easily discovering inactive content and tiering it to low-cost object storage, while users continue working in SharePoint exactly as they always have.
SharePoint Storage Challenges:
SharePoint Storage Challenges:
+60%
Average inactive file rate in SharePoint Online
$288K
Typical yearly SharePoint Online storage costs for inactive data
SharePoint Online charges per GB regardless of whether the content is current or cold after you exceed the limited included storage
Most environments have no visibility into what percentage of storage has been inactive for 6, 12, or 24+ months
Inactive files shared externally remain exposed, creating compliance risk
Without accurate data, IT and Finance cannot align on spend priorities
WHAT AN INTELLIGENT ARCHIVING SOLUTION SHOULD DELIVER
An effective solution does more than move files. It quantifies what inactive data is costing you before you act, automates lifecycle decisions without ongoing IT effort, and ensures users can still access archived content on demand. For organizations with regulated content, WORM immutability and sensitivity labeling complete the picture.
BENEFITS OF CTERA SHAREPOINT ARCHIVING
CTERA combines automated discovery, quantified cost analysis, and policy-driven tiering under a single solution.
Know exactly what you’re paying for before you act
The CTERA Archiving Assistant for SharePoint scans every site, drive, and file and delivers a fully quantified inactive-data report in hours, broken down by inactivity bucket, file type, sharing exposure, and monthly cost. No scripting, no manual sampling required.
Move cold data off SharePoint Online and cut
costs by up to 70%
Policy-driven tiering automatically moves inactive files to Azure Blob, Amazon S3, or an on-premises CTERA Vault on a schedule you define. The 12- and 24-month inactive buckets alone typically represent 40% or more of your monthly bill.
Users can access their files instantly, no matter
where they live
Your users can still reach archived files through shortcut links created in SharePoint. Users click and retrieve with no workflow change and no SharePoint Online storage cost.
Catch compliance exposure in the same
pass as cost savings
The CTERA Archiving Assistant for SharePoint surfaces externally shared inactive files by inactivity bucket, so teams can remediate unnecessary exposure as part of the same lifecycle workflow, not as a separate project.
Keep regulated content under governance all
the way to deep archive
CTERA Vault delivers WORM-compliant immutable storage for regulated content. CTERA Classify adds automated sensitivity labeling. Together they extend governance from active SharePoint data to deep archive.
Protect archived data against ransomware
CTERA Ransom Protect delivers 100% detection across major ransomware families, blocking attacks in a median of 24.5 seconds with less than 2.28% of files affected, independently validated by Synergy7, with near-instant rollback from immutable, air-gapped snapshots.
WHERE ARCHIVING INITIATIVES OFTEN BEGIN
- A Microsoft 365 renewal or Finance directive that surfaces unexpected SharePoint Online storage costs
- Compliance or legal requirements to retain records in WORM-compliant, immutable storage
- IT teams replacing manual archiving scripts with automated, policy-driven lifecycle management
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FAQ
Does CTERA replace SharePoint Online?
No. CTERA extends SharePoint Online with an intelligent lifecycle layer. Users continue working in SharePoint exactly as before. CTERA manages inactive content in the background so your teams do not lose access to their older files and can continue to collaborate on them when needed.
Will users notice when files are archived?
Archived files remain accessible through shortcut links within SharePoint that redirect to the CTERA file system. Users still access any file regardless of age without incurring SharePoint Online storage costs for archived content.
How quickly can we see our potential savings?
The CTERA Archiving Assistant for SharePoint delivers a fully quantified inactive-data report in hours, broken down by inactivity bucket, site, file type, and SharePoint Online cost per bucket. You will have a concrete savings estimate and remediation roadmap before tiering a single file.
Can we choose where archived data is stored?
Yes. CTERA supports tiering to Azure Blob Storage, Amazon S3, or an on-premises CTERA Vault object store. A CTERA Solutions Engineer will work with you to design the right tiering approach for your environment.