Information Tidy Day
Remain GDPR compliant and conquer data Chaos!
Why This Matters
To support the upcoming M: Drive migration and ensure continued compliance with GDPR and internal data governance standards. This initiative will help address growing data volumes, reduce storage costs, and mitigate risks associated with outdated or unnecessary information.
Quick Start Checklist
This checklist provides a starting point. Remember that not every item will apply to your specific situation, and additional considerations for your area may exist.
Areas to Focus On
M: Drive
- • Identify active vs. inactive folders — delete or archive where necessary
- • Delete duplicates and temporary files
- • Remove personal files and folders
- • Review former colleague folders
- • Move shared resources to SharePoint
SharePoint
- • Remove duplicates; utilise version history
- • Delete draft documents (unless active projects)
- • Archive completed project folders
- • Update metadata tags for discoverability
- • Fix broken links and shortcuts
- • Archive entire sites for concluded projects
- • Ideal for team documents, shared projects, and collaborative editing
- • Organise files into a structured folder system by projects, topics, or departments
- • Ensures file ownership continuity when team members leave or change roles
- • Leverage real-time co-authoring and version history for efficient collaboration
Outlook Email
- • Create a folder structure aligned with work functions
- • Delete old emails in line with retention policies
- • Clear deleted and junk folders regularly
- • Set up automated rules for newsletters and recurring emails
- • Save large attachments to appropriate locations and delete from emails
- • Use your Warwick email signature more efficientlyLink opens in a new window
OneDrive for Business
- • Remove non-work content
- • Delete duplicates
- • Organise work files into a standardised folder structure
- • Move shared files to team SharePoint sites
- • Relocate confidential data to secure SharePoint locations
- • Review and revoke unnecessary sharing permissions
- • Best for personal work files or drafts before broader sharing
- • Share files with specific individuals for temporary or limited collaboration
- • Maintain a clean folder structure for quick access to personal documents
- • Transfer collaborative work files to SharePoint when team collaboration is required
Microsoft Teams
- • Archive inactive Teams to keep your view streamlined
- • Delete unwanted and duplicate files
- • Delete files posted in chats that are no longer needed
- • Update team member lists for accurate access control
Local Computer Storage
- • Delete or move files from your Downloads folder regularly
- • Delete files from Desktop and Documents in line with retention policies
- • Move all essential files to cloud storage (OneDrive/SharePoint)
Physical Records
- • Classify records: active, archive, disposal candidates, or personal
- • Update box inventory and labelling for clarity
- • Remove expired retention items per the Records Retention Schedule
- • Digitise records with long retention periods where feasible
- • Securely dispose of confidential materials via approved university processesLink opens in a new window
Environmental Impact
referencesLink opens in a new windowBeyond compliance, your actions support sustainability:
- • Reduces carbon emissions: Less stored data means less energy consumption. Freeing just 1GB of data can save approximately 0.04 kg of CO2 per year.
- • Minimise Email Impact:
- • Short text email: approximately 0.3g CO2e
- • Spam email: approximately 0.03g CO2e
- • Storing an email: approximately 10g CO2e per year
Deleting unneeded emails and large attachments reduces digital energy demands.
Log your Activity and Earn Green Points
If you're taking part in Information Tidy Day, make sure to log your data cleaning under the Mindful Tech Challenge on Warwick Green Rewards!Link opens in a new window You’ll earn points and have a chance to win vouchers to spend on and off campus. You can also earn points through other sustainable actions like sustainable travel, saving energy, and more. Sign up now!
Best Practice
- • Use the University Records Retention Schedule as your primary guide.
- • Adhere to University standard naming conventions for consistency.
- • Leverage SharePoint document libraries with rich metadata for superior searchability.
- • Set up intelligent Outlook rules to automatically organise incoming emails.
- • Actively digitise paper documents whenever feasible to reduce physical clutter.
- • Make regular decluttering a consistent habit for all your digital assets.
- • Conduct periodic permission audits for files in OneDrive and SharePoint.
- • Encourage universal team adoption of SharePoint for all collaborative projects.
- • Always back up critical documents, even with cloud-based recovery features.
Important: For confidential waste disposal, please consult the dedicated confidential waste guidanceLink opens in a new window. For managing substantial amounts of waste, kindly reach out to the waste team directly at wasteandrecycling@warwick.ac.uk.
Training
Elevate your skills! Access a wealth of relevant training courses on LinkedIn LearningLink opens in a new window. Search for key terms like SharePoint, OneDrive, Autodesk Docs, and Document Management to find tailored resources.