Exchange Online · Compliance & Security

Records Management

Members can configure compliance features such as retention policy tags, message classifications, and mail flow rules for records purposes.

Scope: Email retention and records management

Permissions

  • Audit Logs - Search administrator audit log
  • Journaling - Configure journaling rules
  • Message Tracking - Track message delivery
  • Retention Management - Manage retention policies and tags
  • Transport Rules - Create and manage mail flow rules

Common use cases

  • Implementing email lifecycle management
  • Configuring auto-archive policies
  • Managing retention for regulatory compliance
  • Setting up message journaling

Best practices

  • Align with organizational retention schedules
  • Use Microsoft Purview for unified retention across M365
  • Document retention policy rationale with legal/compliance
  • Test retention policies before broad deployment

Security considerations

  • Retention policies can permanently delete content
  • Journaling copies messages externally - protect journal recipients
  • Audit log access reveals administrative actions

Official Microsoft Learn documentation →

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