Improving SharePoint Performance by Archiving Old Documents with Squirrel

SharePoint Online is a powerful platform, but as your content grows, so does the performance burden. Document bloat leads to slow page loads, sluggish search, and increased storage costs. Squirrel, our smart archiving solution, helps you reduce Microsoft 365 storage bills—by up to 70%—while speeding up your SharePoint experience.

Why SharePoint Performance Declines Over Time

As more documents pile up in your SharePoint sites, database sizes grow, making it harder and slower for the platform to retrieve and render content. Libraries with tens of thousands of files or oversized document sets can severely affect search, load time, and even user productivity. Meanwhile, much of this content is rarely accessed—and doesn’t need to stay live.

Archiving with Squirrel: Better Speed, Lower Costs

Squirrel is a cost-saving SaaS solution built specifically for SharePoint. It identifies and archives inactive documents—moving them to Azure Blob Storage where costs are up to 70% lower than SharePoint Online. In their place, lightweight stub files remain visible in your libraries. Users click to instantly restore any document when needed.

Key Benefits of Using Squirrel

• Lower Microsoft 365 Storage Costs: Move old documents to Azure Blob and cut costs dramatically.
• Faster SharePoint Performance: Smaller libraries mean faster load times and smoother search.
• Easy One-Click Retrieval: Users access archived files with a single click from within SharePoint.
• Full Data Security: Archived files are encrypted in transit and at rest.
• Compliance-Friendly: Automate retention with lifecycle rules and meet data governance requirements.
• Zero Workflow Disruption: Squirrel operates behind the scenes—no retraining or manual steps needed.
• Scalable for Enterprises: Designed to handle high-volume SharePoint sites across departments or tenants.

How Squirrel Works

Squirrel uses lifecycle rules (e.g., last modified date or usage history) to scan your SharePoint document libraries. Once a file qualifies for archiving, it’s moved to Azure Blob Storage and replaced with a stub. That stub retains metadata and links so users can continue working as normal. No manual intervention required.

Why Archiving Matters

SharePoint Online is a premium service, and storing large amounts of rarely-used content in it is expensive and inefficient. Archiving helps you:

• Control and reduce your Microsoft 365 storage footprint
• Improve SharePoint response times for active users
• Meet compliance obligations without costly manual cleanup
• Future-proof performance as your content continues to grow

Request a Demo or POC

Curious what kind of savings and performance boost Squirrel could deliver for your organization? Request a personalized demo or proof of concept and see for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Squirrel? A SaaS solution that archives old SharePoint documents to low-cost Azure Blob Storage.
• How does it improve SharePoint performance? It reduces content clutter by moving rarely accessed files off SharePoint, resulting in faster navigation and search.
• Can users still retrieve archived files? Yes. Stub files in the document libraries allow one-click document restoration.
• Is the archived data secure? Absolutely. Data is encrypted both during transfer and while stored.
• Is Squirrel suitable for compliance-heavy industries? Yes, you can set retention schedules and enforce governance policies automatically.
• How do I get started? Request a POC or demo to see how Squirrel can benefit your SharePoint environment.