Patent ID: 8316197

Claim:
A method for storage lifecycle policy management comprising: creating a version of a storage lifecycle policy; associating a unique version ID with the created version of the storage lifecycle policy; associating the unique version ID with one or more portions of backup data created during a storage management job instantiated under the created version of the storage lifecycle policy; ensuring that one or more storage management actions performed on the one or more portions of backup data comply with the created version of the storage lifecycle policy associated with the unique version ID; receiving a request to modify the created version of the storage lifecycle policy; ensuring that one or more modifications identified in the request do not disrupt processing of one or more backup images associated with the created version of the storage lifecycle policy, wherein ensuring that one or more modifications identified in the request do not disrupt processing of one or more backup images comprises one or more of: ensuring that modification does not change a type of job destination; ensuring that modification does not change a retention type for a destination; ensuring that modification does not change a source of a destination; ensuring that modification does not change a data classification specified in the created version of the storage lifecycle policy; and ensuring that modification does not change a number of destinations specified in the created version of the storage lifecycle policy; and modifying the created version of the storage lifecycle policy.