SharePoint is the backbone of collaboration for thousands of organizations, but it also comes with a hidden cost: rapidly growing storage. As more content is created and shared, many organizations find themselves paying more than expected, often without realizing where or why. The good news is that you can optimize your SharePoint environment and dramatically reduce storage expenses without disrupting users or compromising data integrity.

Here are five proven tactics to help you cut costs and regain control of your SharePoint storage.

1. Tame versioning before it bloats your storage

Versioning is a fantastic feature, until it’s not. Every time someone updates a file, SharePoint stores a new version. That might seem harmless at first, but when a 20MB file is saved 100 times, you’re now storing 2GB of data for a single document. Multiply that across your entire tenant, and storage usage can spiral quickly.

The fix? Start by reviewing versioning settings across your libraries. Most organizations don’t need to keep hundreds of versions of every file. Reducing that number to a more reasonable limit, like the most recent 10 or 20, can free up significant space. There are third-party platforms that can also help you identify version-heavy libraries and take action without interrupting your users.

2. Leverage Microsoft 365 Archive without the fees

Until recently, using the Microsoft 365 Archive came with a major caveat: the cost of reactivating archived sites. That made many IT teams hesitate to use it. But now, Microsoft has removed those reactivation fees, making this a cost-effective way to store infrequently accessed data.

By archiving inactive sites, you move content to a low-cost, read-only tier, perfect for old projects or compliance-driven storage needs. With no penalty for bringing that content back if needed, archiving is now a no-brainer for organizations looking to optimize their SharePoint footprint.

3. Eliminate ROT (Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial) content

Let’s be honest: most environments are cluttered with outdated documents, duplicates, and test files that no one remembers creating. This ROT (redundant, obsolete, trivial) content quietly inflates your storage bill and creates noise that makes it harder to find what matters.

Conducting regular content audits is key. Use data analytics to surface files and sites that haven’t been accessed in months, or years. From there, work with content owners to clean up what’s no longer needed. Even small cleanups, done consistently, can yield big savings over time.

4. Right-size your storage with better visibility

If you don’t know where your storage is going, you can’t control it. Visibility is the foundation of any optimization effort. Many organizations operate blind, unaware of which teams, departments, or sites are consuming the most space.

By utilizing reporting capabilities, you can drill down into storage usage by site, file type, or user. This insight allows you to make informed decisions, like identifying which sites are growing the fastest, or flagging unusually large files that don’t belong in SharePoint at all.

5. Get proactive with governance

At its core, storage optimization is about governance. Without clear rules and accountability, storage grows unchecked. Many organizations struggle here, not because they don’t care, but because they lack the tools to manage at scale.

Setting policies around site creation, file retention, and ownership helps keep content in check. Automating those policies, such as auto-expiring inactive sites or flagging non-compliant content, ensures your environment stays healthy without requiring manual effort. With the right governance in place, you prevent tomorrow’s problems before they begin.

Want to learn more? Join us at CollabSummit

These tactics are just the beginning. If you want to see how leading organizations are tackling SharePoint storage growth head-on, don’t miss our session at CollabSummit: Unlocking Cost Savings Through SharePoint Storage Optimization

In this session, Syskit’s experts Aleksandra Lipovac and Bruno Gulin, will showcase real-world approaches to reducing storage costs using Syskit Point and Microsoft 365 built-in capabilities. They will demonstrate how to simplify governance, reduce redundant content, and make smarter storage decisions, based on actual customer success stories.

Whether you’re a SharePoint admin, IT manager, or business leader, you’ll walk away with actionable tips and a clear roadmap for cutting costs without compromise.