Extending SharePoint File Management: How Opus Enhances Purview’s Capabilities

A SharePoint Records and Information Management Enhancement Application

Effective data governance within SharePoint Online relies on robust information lifecycle management. While Microsoft Purview offers extensive capabilities through retention labels and policies, certain gaps can be addressed using third-party solutions like Opus.

Opus, developed by AvePoint, enhances information lifecycle management by providing additional features and functionalities for records and information management requirements. By integrating Opus with SharePoint, organizations can optimize their data governance strategies, ensuring compliance, security, and efficiency in handling vital records. This article explores how Opus extends the lifecycle management of files and documents within SharePoint Online and compares its functionality to Purview’s native capabilities.

Advanced Lifecycle Management

One of Opus's key strengths lies in its advanced lifecycle management capabilities. While Purview offers data protection capabilities in addition to core Records Management features, Opus specializes in records management, providing enhanced functionality for the flexible and comprehensive configuration of record management policies and retention rules. This specialization allows organizations to implement detailed, organization-specific workflows and retention protocols that align with their regulatory and business needs.

Purview, on the other hand, extends beyond records management to support broader data governance initiatives, offering tools for data discovery, policy enforcement, and insights into data usage across various workloads and environments. For example:

• Advanced eDiscovery – Enhanced search and retrieval of data for legal or compliance purposes.

• Sensitivity Labeling – Classification of data based on its confidentiality level.

• Insider Risk Management – Protection against internal threats by monitoring unusual user activity.

• Data Loss Protection (DLP) – Preventing the accidental sharing of sensitive information.

Organizations seeking a comprehensive data governance solution will find significant value in Purview's advanced security and compliance features. However, for those with a primary focus on records management, Opus serves as a robust lifecycle management partner, complementing and enhancing the capabilities of the Purview toolkit.

Streamlining the Records Management Lifecycle

Opus introduces a variety of enhanced features that simplify and improve records management, allowing organizations to handle complex retention requirements more efficiently. Some of its key features include:

• A streamlined user interface – Simplifies configuration steps and enhances usability.

• Advanced disposition workflows – Automates and organizes content review processes.

• Comprehensive lifecycle management reporting – Provides insights into retention and compliance metrics.

• Automatic content archiving – Moves inactive content to alternative storage locations in SharePoint or Azure.

• Advanced auditing – Tracks document changes and record histories forever.

• Physical object management – Provides the management of physical items including label generation and circulation.

• Retention policy application across multiple platforms – Extends governance to SharePoint Online, File Shares, and Box.

• Case-based disposition actions – Permits management of records based on container retention.

• Full event-based retention control – Ensures records are classified and labeled based on event criteria and metadata triggers.

These enhancements give Opus an edge in handling complex records management workflows. To understand its practical benefits, let’s examine how Opus compares to Purview in two key areas: event-based retention and disposition management.

Event-Based Retention Control

Microsoft Purview supports event-based retention, but its implementation requires configuring an auto-applied label triggered by either a date or metadata change in a designated location. Content remains unlabeled within SharePoint until the event trigger occurs, at which point it is labeled and governed accordingly. However, if the content is already labeled with an automatic retention label, event-based retention rules may not apply, leading to potential gaps in coverage.

This limitation poses a challenge for records managers, as critical content may remain unclassified and exposed until an event trigger is activated. Without proper labeling at the start of the document lifecycle, organizations may face compliance risks and governance inefficiencies.

Opus addresses this issue by allowing content to be classified and labeled from the moment it is created. Its event-based retention control ensures that files receive proper classification on creation, while still respecting event triggers for disposition. This proactive approach ensures that all content is governed and protected throughout its lifecycle, reducing the risk of accidental data loss.

Disposition Process Improvements

The disposition process in Microsoft Purview requires organizations to design a review workflow for each retention label. This can be implemented in two ways:

1. Basic Review Process – Allows up to five linear review stages per retention label.

2. Power Automate Workflow – Creates a custom automated review process requiring in-depth technical knowledge and development time.

When a disposition event occurs in Purview, files are automatically grouped into buckets based on retention labels. This means that a reviewer handling multiple retention labels must navigate between different review buckets, which can be time-consuming and inefficient.

Opus simplifies this process by allowing disposition processes to be configured with a visual workflow mapping interface, allowing for more complex configuration. Additionally, instead of organizing content by retention labels, Opus groups files based on the assigned reviewer, making it easier to manage disposition tasks.

This method offers several advantages:

• Increased efficiency – Reviewers see all files requiring review in one place, regardless of retention label.

• Simplified navigation – Reviewers can search and filter on metadata to group their files during disposition review.

• Enhanced flexibility – Reviewers can execute advanced disposition actions, including archiving, destruction, or record extension.

  
  

By streamlining the disposition process, Opus significantly reduces the complexity of disposition review, helping organizations ensure compliance with minimal administrative burden.

Microsoft Purview provides a solid foundation for data governance in SharePoint Online, offering extensive retention and compliance features. However, Opus enhances these capabilities in multiple ways including event-based retention and disposition workflows.

For organizations that require advanced lifecycle management without the added cost of an E5 license, Opus presents a compelling alternative. Its ability to classify content from creation, consolidate disposition reviews, and simplify compliance processes makes it a valuable addition to any records management strategy.

Ultimately, the choice between Opus and Purview depends on an organization’s specific needs. While Purview remains essential for broader data governance, Opus offers significant enhancements in lifecycle and records management, making it an excellent complement to Microsoft’s existing solutions.

By integrating with Opus, organizations can achieve a more streamlined, efficient, and cost-effective approach to managing information within SharePoint Online.

If you are interested in learning more about AvePoint Opus, Cadence Solutions is one of the world’s first AvePoint Opus certified implementation partners. We would be happy to have a conversation about how Opus can meet your needs and how it will fit into your wider Microsoft 365 architecture.