SmiKar Launches Chipmunk: Automated Microsoft 365 User Archiving, Now on Azure Marketplace

Automated post-offboarding archiving for OneDrive, Exchange and Teams—deploy directly from Azure Marketplace; search “Chipmunk”.

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, September 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SmiKar Software today announced the general availability of Chipmunk, an Azure-native solution that automates user archiving for Microsoft 365. Built for organisations that need to retain departing employees’ data without keeping accounts active, Chipmunk streamlines post-offboarding retention while helping reduce ongoing Microsoft 365 costs. Chipmunk is available now and can be deployed directly from the Microsoft Azure Marketplace—search “Chipmunk.”

Modern offboarding is complex. IT teams must preserve business-critical information, support HR and Legal requests, and hand over content to managers—all while closing accounts quickly and containing spend. Manual processes are slow and error-prone; leaving accounts active is risky and expensive. Chipmunk gives administrators a simple, automated and auditable way to retain user data after employment ends, without keeping those accounts alive.

How Chipmunk works
Chipmunk continuously monitors Entra ID (Azure AD) for disabled or offboarded users and automatically initiates archiving for their OneDrive, Exchange Online and Microsoft Teams data. Content is collected into an archive under the customer’s Azure subscription, with progress tracked in the Chipmunk portal. Administrators can review status at any time, search archived content, export when required, or perform targeted restores—ensuring the business can access the information it needs long after an employee has left. On completion, Chipmunk can notify an administration group so that license reclamation and account closure proceed confidently.

Why cost control matters
Keeping leaver data accessible directly in Microsoft 365 typically means continuing to pay for something—most commonly by keeping some licences assigned to former users or by allocating higher-tier licences that include retention capabilities. Those subscriptions accrue per-user, per-month charges for as long as they remain in place and can scale significantly in organisations with steady employee turnover or large one-time offboarding events. Tenant storage consumption linked to former users can also contribute to the overall Microsoft 365 bill.
Chipmunk addresses this by moving required data into the customer’s own Azure Storage, where organisations can select appropriate storage tiers and retention policies to align cost with business value—without paying to keep inactive Microsoft 365 accounts licensed.

Built for security and control
Because Chipmunk runs in the customer’s Azure environment, data remains under the customer’s control. Archives are stored in the customer’s Azure Storage account with Azure encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, and audit logging to support governance requirements. Chipmunk aligns with existing Azure operational practices for identity, access and monitoring, helping customers meet internal security policies without creating a new silo outside their tenant.

Key benefits

Automated user archiving triggered by account disablement/offboarding—no manual scripting.

Comprehensive Microsoft 365 coverage across OneDrive, Exchange Online and Teams.

Search, export and restore capabilities to support Legal, HR and operational needs.

Lower ongoing costs by eliminating licences tied to inactive accounts and optimising retention in Azure Storage.

Customer-controlled data residing entirely in the customer’s Azure subscription.

Operational simplicity with status dashboards and completion notifications.

Scalability to support ongoing offboarding or high-volume events.

Use cases

Routine offboarding and licence reclamation at scale.

Organisational changes and mergers where many accounts are closed at once.

Retention for HR and Legal matters requiring access to former employee data.

Cost-containment programs aimed at reducing Microsoft 365 subscription spend.

“Chipmunk lets IT teams retain departing employees’ data without keeping accounts active or paying for storage they no longer need,” said Mark Smith, Founder of SmiKar Software. “It’s a simple, Azure-native way to meet retention and handover requirements while staying in control of cost.”

Availability and getting started
Chipmunk is available today. Deploy directly from the Microsoft Azure Marketplace—search “Chipmunk.”

About SmiKar Software
SmiKar Software builds Azure-first data management and archiving solutions for Microsoft 365. Our products are designed for simplicity, security and cost efficiency, helping organisations retain the information they need—without the overhead.

Mark Smith
SmiKar Software
email us here

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