Panopto Retention Policy
Why are we implementing a retention policy?
Panopto recently announced a pricing model change that risks doubling our costs. Formerly, pricing was based on the following:
- hours of newly created videos and;
- the hours viewed on all videos.
Going forward, pricing will be based on the following:
- hours of newly created videos,
- the hours of stored videos (videos located in Panopto folders), and;
- the hours of video in the archive.
Butler has a vast amount of stored videos—some dating back to 2009—and we will take a big financial hit if we do not reduce our storage when the new pricing takes effect in July.
CAT has developed a two-phased plan to reduce our storage.
- Phase 1: Initial deleting and archiving – May 31, 2022.
- Phase 2: implement a retention policy – Summer 2022 onward
Please note that there may be exceptions to these policies by college or program as circumstances dictate.
Will I know what videos of mine will be archived and deleted in phase 1?
In April, CAT will email instructors a list of their videos that will be deleted and archived on May 31, 2022. This communication will include steps for how to keep videos that you still need.
- Videos that have not been used in the last five years will be on the list to be deleted.
- Videos that have not been used in the last two years will be on the list to be archived and then slated for deletion a year after archival.
How will the retention policy work in phase 2?
In consultation with the CAT Advisory Board and Registration & Records, CAT determined a retention policy to comply with student record-retention needs and faculty instructional needs. The new archival and deletion policy is as follows:
| Content Category | Archival Policy | Deletion Policy |
| Zoom Recordings | Archive 6 months after creation | Delete after 2 years in archive |
| Remote Recorder Recordings | Archive 6 months after creation | Delete after 2 years in archive |
| All Others | Archive 1 year after most recent view | Delete after 4 years in archive |
Most videos will fall under the “All Others” category. For example, if you created a video in 2016 and have used it every semester, this video, despite being several years old, will not be archived because of the recent view activity. If the video sits unwatched for a year, it will move into the archive. The video will then sit in the archive for four years; if it is needed during that time, you can restore it and the last-viewed time resets.
Why is the duration so short for videos that stay in Panopto folders?
It costs the university five times as much to keep videos in a Panopto folder compared to the archive. One way to keep costs down is to move videos into the archive and restore them when needed.
When will videos move to the archive or be deleted?
The initial cleanup of Panopto videos will occur on May 31, 2022. At this time, videos that have not been used in the last five years will be deleted and videos that have not been used in the last two years will be archived.
After the initial cleanup, videos will be archived and deleted twice annually. This will occur in March and November.
What if I or a student need to watch a video in the archive?
Archived videos will remain in the Archive until they are deleted. Archived videos will no longer appear when browsing the library, but will still appear in search results. (Archived videos will still be associated with a folder in the library, but will not display within that folder list view.)
Archived videos are not available for immediate viewing, but Creators and Viewers can still restore and access this content. Videos must be restored before they can be viewed. Administrators and Creators can access the Archive from the System menu to restore content. Viewers can open a video from search results to begin restoration. If a video is restored, it will appear in its associated folder once it is ready to view. Restoration of an archived video can take up to 48 hours.
How can I keep my videos for longer than the policy timeframe?
Students, faculty, and staff can keep videos in storage longer than the default policy timeline if needed. Faculty who teach courses every two years using Panopto videos or who want to use Panopto videos on their dossier may want to change the policy timeframe. To retain your videos, you can manually change the retention policy; you can select from three predefined policies in Panopto with longer storage times.
- How do I change the retention policy on a video in Panopto?
- How do I change the retention policy on a folder in Panopto?
Alternatively, you can download the videos from Panopto for storage or use in another system (e.g. Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.)
Note that if you are reusing lecture capture videos (e.g. Zoom recordings or automatic remote recordings) that contain audio or video of your students, you will first need to ask each student in the recording to complete the FERPA Consent to Release Student Information Relating to Classroom Recordings form. See the Can I reuse Panopto videos from semester to semester? article for more information.