Patent ID: 8805806

Claim:
A method for automatic, tiered data retention in a networked data storage system, comprising: copying primary data comprising a plurality of data items generated by one or more applications executing on one or more client computers from primary storage to secondary storage; receiving user input entered into a graphical user interface, the user input including first classification criteria and second classification criteria for at least first and second retention containers of a plurality of retention containers within the secondary storage, the first classification criteria and the second classification criteria each comprising at least one search term; accessing from computer storage a user-defined data retention policy comprising a set of classification criteria for assigning the plurality of data items to the plurality of retention containers within the secondary storage, each retention container associated with a particular retention period, the set of classification criteria comprising the first classification criteria and the second classification criteria; using computer hardware of one or more computers, automatically parsing, based on the user-defined data retention policy, through the plurality of data items in the secondary storage to determine which data items contain an instance of the search term associated with the first retention container; for one or more first data items that contain an instance of the search term associated with the first retention container: assigning the first data items to the first retention container at least in part based on the determination that the first data items contain the search term, wherein the first data items are scheduled for deletion from the first retention container according to the user-defined data retention policy only after the first data items have been retained for a duration that is at least as long as the retention period associated with the first retention container; using computer hardware of one or more computers, automatically parsing, based on the user-defined data retention policy, through the plurality of data items in the secondary storage to determine which data items contain an instance of the search term associated with the second retention container; and for one or more second data items that contain an instance of the search term associated with the second retention container: assigning the second data items to the second retention container at least in part based on the determination that the second data items contain the search term, wherein the second data items are scheduled for deletion from the second retention container according to the user-defined data retention policy only after the second data items have been retained for a duration that is at least as long as the retention period associated with the second retention container.