Patent ID: 7831567

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing information retention comprising: applying a first retention rule to a plurality of data objects generated by a plurality of different applications in an enterprise; identifying retention-relevant properties for each of the plurality of data objects from a set of properties associated with each data object; determining residency periods and retention periods for the plurality of objects in accordance with the first retention rule and based on the retention-relevant properties, the residency periods set time periods for storing objects in an active storage repository, the retention periods set time periods for storing in an archive; in response to at least expiration of a residency period for at least a first data object of the plurality of data objects, defining a first hierarchical path for storing the first data object in the archive based on the retention-relevant properties associated with the first data object, wherein the first hierarchical path includes an expiration date of the first data object as a node in the hierarchical path and an identifier of the first data object; identifying an unstructured data object associated with the first data object; defining a second hierarchical path different from the first hierarchical path for storing the unstructured data object in the archive based on the retention-relevant properties associated with the first data object, wherein the second hierarchical path includes the expiration date and the identifier of the first data object; storing the at least first data object in the archive based on the first hierarchical path and the unstructured data object in the archive based on the second hierarchical path; deleting the at least one data object from the active storage in connection with storing the at least first data object in the archive; in response to at least expiration of a retention period for the at least first data object, deleting the at least one data object from the archive; and applying a second retention rule to at least a second data object from the plurality of data objects in response to at least the second data object including one or more retention-relevant properties different from the first data object.