====== 🐿️ Features of Squirrel Archiving ======

Squirrel is a powerful, user-friendly archiving solution for SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive.  
Learn more about Squirrel here: [[https://www.smikar.com/squirrel/|Squirrel Archiving on smikar.com]]

^ Feature Category ^ Feature ^ Description ^
| **Smart Archiving** | Automated Archiving | Detects inactive files for automated archival. |
|  | Automated Site-Level Archiving | Apply archive policies globally across your SharePoint environment. |
|  | Site Whitelisting | Exclude specific sites from archiving via whitelist. |
|  | Per-Site Archiving Policy | Configure individual archive rules per site. |
|  | Manual Archiving/Restore | Admins can manually archive or restore entire sites, document libraries, or folders. |
|  | Custom Retention Rules | Archive based on file size, **modified date**, **last accessed date**, path, or metadata — or combinations of these. |
|  | AI-Powered Lifecycle Policy | [[https://www.smikar.com/ai-powered-lifecycle-policy-feature-for-sharepoint|Automatically adjusts lifecycle rules]] to help ensure data remains within your Microsoft license allocation. |
|  | Path-Based Archiving | Supports archiving specific folders or directories. |
|  | MIP Label Awareness | Policies can be configured to skip archiving files with specific Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) labels. |
| **Stub File Replacement** | Stub File Creation | Archived files are replaced with lightweight `.html` stub files in SharePoint. |
|  | One-Click Restore | Stub files include a restore button that users can click to request file restoration. See [[https://www.smikar.com/squirrel-data-rehydration/|Data Rehydration]]. |
|  | Metadata & Version Preservation | Retains original file metadata and **archives all versions** of the file. |
| **User-Initiated Actions** | Archive/Restore Buttons | Users can initiate archive or restore from SharePoint or Teams. See [[https://www.smikar.com/squirrel-self-service-archiving/|Self-Service Archiving]]. |
|  | Teams & Private Channels Support | Full compatibility with Teams private channels and document libraries. |
|  | Synced Folder Compatibility | Works seamlessly with OneDrive-synced folders (SharePoint synced folders). |
|  | SharePoint UI Integration | Fully integrated into the native SharePoint user interface. |
|  | Folder & Subfolder Archiving/Restore | Users can archive or restore complete folders and all subfolders/files directly from the SharePoint UI. |
| **Versioning** | Archive All Versions | All historical versions of a file can be archived, not just the latest. |
|  | Version Limit Policy | Define how many versions to keep when archiving. |
|  | Auto Delete Excess Versions | Squirrel can automatically delete older versions beyond your specified retention limit. |
| **Orphaned Files** | Orphan Detection | Identifies orphaned SharePoint files no longer linked to any site or library. |
|  | Orphan Archiving | Automatically archives orphaned files to preserve content and free up storage. |
| **Geo-Distributed Architecture** | Data Sovereignty Compliance | Meets data residency requirements by deploying Squirrel in the same region as the customer's SharePoint tenant. |
| **Azure Blob Integration** | Azure Storage Support | Archives files to customer’s Azure Blob storage account. |
|  | Storage Tiering | Supports Hot and Cool tiers in Azure Blob Storage to manage storage costs. |
|  | Separate Storage for Backup | Archive and backup data stored in different Blob containers. |
| **Security & Compliance** | Entra ID Integration | Integrates with the customer’s Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for authentication and group-based access control. |
|  | Admin-Only Portal Access | The Squirrel portal is accessible only to designated admin users. |
|  | Role-Based Admin Groups | Two permission groups: **Service Desk** (search & restore only), and **Full Admin** (complete dashboard access). |
|  | MIP Label Compliance | Files with defined MIP labels can be excluded from archiving. |
|  | Encrypted Data | Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. |
|  | Detailed Logging | Every archive and restore action is logged and auditable. |
| **Dashboard & Reporting** | Real-Time Dashboard | View live data usage, queued files, and active requests. |
|  | Exportable Reports | Download CSV logs and metrics for compliance or review. |
|  | Log Viewer | Built-in log viewer to filter and inspect detailed actions. |
|  | Custom Filters | Filter by site, user, date, or action for granular reporting. |
| **Configuration & Integration** | Policy Customization | Set different policies per site, group, or content type. |
|  | PowerShell & REST API | Full control through scripting and API calls. |
|  | CLI & GUI Support | Use either the command line or web UI for configuration and management. |
| **Integrated Add-On: O365 Backup** | OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams Backup | Fully integrated into the Squirrel platform — adds backup capabilities for OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. |
|  | Affordable Add-On | Designed to be cost-effective and easy to manage within the existing Squirrel interface. |
| **Support & Monitoring** | 24/7 Support | SmiKar Software provides global, 24/7 support to assist with any Squirrel-related issues or inquiries. |
|  | Continuous Monitoring | The Squirrel platform is continuously monitored to ensure uptime, performance, and issue detection. |