UPDATE

 

In January we announced changes to be implemented on July 1, 2017 to the SharePoint and Exchange eDiscovery capabilities (see https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/SharePoint/SharePoint-and-Exchange-Online-eDiscovery-Transitioning-to/td-p/41492).

 

Due to the delayed release of a feature that will allow you to copy the results of an eDiscovery search in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center to a discovery mailbox, we’re postponing the decommissioning of new In-Place eDiscovery searches and In-Place Holds in Exchange Online.  You will continue be able to create new searches and holds in the Exchange admin center until further notice.

It still remains that you will not be able to create new cases in the SharePoint Online eDiscovery Center after July 1, 2017. 

 

We'll continue to update this articles as we work to deliver the feature mentioned above.

Overview

On July 1, 2017, Microsoft will disable the ability to create new In-Place eDiscovery searches and In-Place Holds (*-MailboxSearch) in the Exchange Admin Center in Exchange Online. We’ll also disable the creation of new cases in the eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online. Instead, we invite you to use the Security & Compliance Center to fulfill your organization’s eDiscovery needs. In both cases, you will still be able to edit and run existing searches in the Exchange Admin Center and work with existing cases in the SharePoint eDiscovery Center.

 

Microsoft is decommissioning these eDiscovery tools because of their limited breadth across Office 365 services.  The Security & Compliance Center supports permissions, cases, holds and exports as well as Advanced eDiscovery features such as Themes, Email Threading, Near Duplicate Detections, and Predictive coding.  These changes only apply to the Exchange Admin Center in Exchange Online and the eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online.  On-premises and dedicated deployments of these tools will continue to be supported.

FAQ:

Where can I learn more about eDiscovery in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center?

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/eDiscovery-in-Office-365-143b3ab8-8cb0-4036-a5fc-6536d837bfce?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

 

Where can I learn more about Advanced eDiscovery in Office 365?

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/eDiscovery-in-Office-365-143b3ab8-8cb0-4036-a5fc-6536d837bfce?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US#advancedediscovery

 

Does this change my Office 365 pricing or plan?

Although Advanced eDiscovery requires E5 Licensing, the base eDiscovery offering is available for all enterprise plans.

 

When will this happen?

New cases in the eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online and new In-Place eDiscovery searches and holds in the Exchange Admin Center will be disabled on July 1, 2017. This might vary slightly based on the actual deployment schedule.

 

Will I still have access to my existing cases in the SharePoint eDiscovery Center?

Yes, you can continue to interact will all existing cases, you can add searches, holds and export from these cases.  We are only removing the ability to add new cases.  All new cases should be created in the Security & Compliance Center. For more information, see Manage eDiscovery cases in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center.

 

Will I still have access to my existing searches and holds in the Exchange Admin Center?

Yes, you can continue to interact with all existing searches and holds in the Exchange Admin Center.  We are only removing the capability to create new searches.  All new searches should be created in the Security & Compliance Center. For more information, see Run a Content Search in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center.

 

I use the Exchange Admin Center or SharePoint eDiscovery Center for Retention and Preservation, how do I do this now?

The Security & Compliance Center has a full set of features for preserving content. For more information, see Overview of preservation policies.

 

Can I migrate searches in the Exchange Admin Center or cases in the SharePoint eDiscovery Center to the Security & Compliance Center?

No. eDiscovery cases in the Security & Compliance Center and cases in the eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online are completely different objects, and their underlying architecture is also different. The same is true for In-Place eDiscovery searches in the Exchange Admin Center and Content Searches the Security & Compliance Center. Thus, existing cases and searches can't be migrated to the Security & Compliance Center. If you have existing cases in the eDiscovery Center, we recommend that you continue to manage them in the eDiscovery Center until they are completed and you close them. If you need to support a new legal investigation in your organization, we recommend that you use eDiscovery cases in the Security & Compliance Center.

 

If you have existing searches in the Exchange Admin Center, you can create a corresponding Content Search in the Security & Compliance Center.

 

What about my existing holds, will they continue to preserve data?

Yes, all existing holds from the Exchange Admin Center and eDiscovery Center will continue to hold content. Only the creation of new In-Place Holds in the Exchange Admin Center and new cases in the SharePoint eDiscovery center are being disabled.

 

How do I get access to the Security & Compliance Center?

By default, global administrators have access to the Security & Compliance Center. Administrators can assign permissions to other users so they can the eDiscovery tools in the Security & Compliance Center.

 

How do I access the Security & Compliance Center?

You can navigate directly from https://protection.office.com/ or from the app launcher, choose the Security & Compliance tile.