Subpoena for records retention

[aheintz]

Hi friends, 

I received a subpoena regarding several users (teachers and admin) requiring me to place a hold on all of their account data. 

The retention policy is set to indefinitely, but I am worried about users deleting their files, and / or the user account accidentally being deleted. 

Any best practices / advice on how to proceed is welcome. Given the legal nature of this request, I want to make sure everything is done correctly. 

Thanks so much!

~Aaron

[icrew]

That’s exactly what Vault is designed to help with. See https://workspace.google.com/products/vault/ for an overview, and https://support.google.com/vault/?hl=en#topic=2739742 for the support docs. 

Hope that helps,

Ian

[aheintz]

Thanks for the support doc link. I've used vault to search for messages but never to place a hold. Appreciate your help!

[BrianGray]

Even though we have indefinite retention, I add a separate hold on the accounts that are the subject of litigation (and on accounts that we think are likely to be involved in future litigation).  That way, if we change the default policy, those accounts are still protected by the separate hold.  

[JimmyR]

Vault is great for this.  Then I just wait for our legal team to tell me when to remove the hold.  It could be a couple months or even a couple of years.