New interim Information Management Guidance for Defence O365

November 30, 2020 - Defence Stories

The proper storage and management of key information assets is a continual priority and requirement within Department of National Defence (DND). With the release of Defence O365, a new interim Information Management (IM) Guidance (link accessible only on the DWAN) has been released to provide users of the platform direction on managing their information.

The Defence O365 platform will continue to evolve to be fully integrated with other DND/CAF systems, so proper information management on the platform should be a top priority for all users. While Defence O365 is designed for collaboration, Government of Canada and DND/CAF policies surrounding information management still remain in effect.

Defence O365 is considered a transitory environment (with records that are required only for a limited time to ensure the completion of a routine action or the preparation of a subsequent record) and all information of business value must be stored in an official corporate repository used by your respective L1 on the DWAN (e.g. GCdocs). Information only up to and including Protected A may be used on this platform.

Please also note that MS Teams Instant Messages are considered to be “transitory information” and are automatically destroyed after a 90-day period. Any chat messages that constitute information assets (e.g. Decisions taken or subordination made) must be appropriately saved on an official corporate repository system.

If users must transfer information assets between Defence O365 and the DWAN, only transfer outside of peak hours and using a ‘day forward’ approach where users only transfer documents required to perform a task.

Find the new interim IM Guidance on the ADM(IM) intranet site (link accessible only on the DWAN) or on Defence O365.