Panopto video retention policy

Effective June 1, 2023, UMsystem is implementing this retention policy for Panopto content. The policy will archive recordings that have not been viewed for more than 18 months. 

Note: The policy applies to all content in Panopto, including imported Zoom recordings.

Why?

Panopto recently announced a pricing model change, and the platform will no longer have an unlimited video storage and usage quota. Instead, the pricing for storage will be based on the amount of hours of videos in each of the following categories system wide;

1. Videos being created
2. Stored videos
3. Archived videos

Panopto has listed the definitions of each of these categories.

What will happen?

Due to this change, the Academic Technology team at Missouri Online has developed some automated ways of handling content.  Our goal is that this should be minimally disruptive to faculty and students while maximizing our ability to provide streaming services and minimizing cost. 

How will this work?

• Panopto stored content that has not been played for more than 18 months will be sent to an Archive folder. 
• Archived videos are not available for immediate viewing, but anyone can restore and access the content. The restoration may take up to 48 hours, depending on how long the video has been archived. 
• Archived videos will be permanently deleted after being archived for 3 years without being restored. Archived videos will no longer appear when browsing the library, but will still appear in search results. 

What does an archived video look like?

In Panopto:

Figure 1: Restoring a Panopto video from archive

In embed view:

Figure 2: Notice of archived state and option to restore the Panopto video

Notifications

• The creators will NOT receive individual notifications when a recording is archived or deleted.
• When an archived video is restored, its Creator will receive an email notification. The email will include a link to the restored video and information on who restored the video. 

What Do I Need to Do?

1. If all your Panopto recordings are used in courses and viewed by students at least once a year, they should remain active and no action is required on your part.
2. If you need to retain a recording that is not viewed frequently, you can download it as an MP4 file.  
3. If a recording was archived but needs to be used again, you can restore them from the archive folder within 3 years.