s businesses expand, so does their content. This growth often leads to higher storage costs and longer data retention periods. Microsoft 365 Archive provides a cost-effective solution for long-term storage. Here's a simple guide on how to use it for your data storage needs.

Why Use Microsoft 365 Archive?

Microsoft 365 Archive allows you to store your Microsoft 365 data cost-effectively, while still enjoying the same security, compliance, and search benefits as regular storage. This is especially handy when your SharePoint usage is close to its limit and you need to manage your organization's data lifecycle effectively.

Find the Archive Recommendation

_{Go to the SharePoint admin Center. At the top of the page.
you'll see the Microsoft 365 archive recommendation button.
Click this button to create a policy to automatically archive all the sites that haven't been used for a while.}

Step 1:

Start the Workflow After you've created the policy, a workflow begins.
This workflow allows the site owner to mark the site as active, inactive, or deleted.

Step 2:
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Check the Policy By clicking on 'view policy', you can see which sites have been automatically archived.
You also have the option to run PowerShell scripts or use the SharePoint UI to select sites containing large sets of data that can be archived.

Step 3:

Choose the Site Pick an inactive site with a lot of data that no one is interacting with but needs to be kept for a long period, like 10 years.

Step 4:

Archive the Site Click the archive button to put the site and its contents into an archive state.
This process happens within hours and can save your company money on extra storage costs.

Step 5:

Keep an Eye on Storage Usage with Microsoft 365 Archive, you can easily see how much storage is being used at any moment.
The retention policy you applied to the site and contents stays in place.

Step 6:
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Bring Back Data When the archived data is needed again, it can be brought back exactly as it was when it was first archived.
There's no loss of permissions, labels, or metadata.

In conclusion, Microsoft 365 Archive allows you to bring and keep all the data you want and need in SharePoint at a price that matches the activity of your data.
With Microsoft 365 Archive, you don't have to compromise on the security, compliance, or search promises that Microsoft 365 has to offer.

if you want to have some tips for cost saving , please go through this article -KB Tech World: Microsoft 365 - Top 10 suggestions to manage your cost. (kumarbipul.com)

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Below is the reference video for this article, please see the Microsoft youtube video.