Patent ID: 8819048

Claim:
A method for virtually managing repositories to provide retention management services comprising: receiving at a content system an indication that a retention management service is desired to be performed with respect to an external content item stored in an external content system wherein the external content item has not been ingested by the content system that is being used to perform the retention management service, wherein retention management is management of the external content item so that a policy for retaining the external content item and removing the external content item is applied to the external content item, wherein the policy comprises a retention policy and a removal policy; wherein a removal policy comprises removing the external content item based on a received time and/or date of scheduled removal, wherein a retention policy comprises retaining the external content item for a retention time period after which the external content item is removed; storing in the content system for each external content item a reference object that represents the external content item, wherein the reference object provides information that enables the content system to perform the retention management service with respect to the external content item; issuing a request to lock down the external content item, wherein the lock down prevents the external content item from being altered or deleted; determining whether it is time to remove the external content item based at least on the time and/or date of scheduled removal or the retention time period and the reference object representing the external content item, in the event it is time to remove the external content item, issuing a request to remove the external content item; translating the request to remove the external content item to one or more native operations of the external content system where the external content item is stored; receiving a confirmation that the external content item has been removed and translating the confirmation into the appropriate format for the content management system; removing the reference object in the content management system that represents the external content item; storing a verification that the external content item and the reference object have been removed, wherein the verification comprises at least a part of the confirmation received from the external content system and is auditable.