ShArc is live: the smartest way to reduce SharePoint storage costs

Layer2 leading solutions has officially launched ShArc, the most intuitive and secure SharePoint archiving tool on the market. After months of development and enthusiastic feedback from beta testers, ShArc is now available for purchase worldwide—ready to help companies slash storage costs, simplify data management, and regain full control over their Microsoft 365 environments.

ShArc is a powerful new solution that offloads rarely used SharePoint files to Microsoft Azure Blob Storage—without changing the way users work. Employees continue accessing their files via SharePoint or Microsoft Teams, while IT teams manage storage via intuitive, rule-based automation.

Organizations using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online face rising storage costs and limited archiving flexibility. Buying extra SharePoint storage can cost up to $240,000 per year for 100 TB. With ShArc, those same 100 TB cost $94,989 annually on Azure Blob (Cool). So a company can save 60% on extra storage—without compromising security, compliance, or accessibility.

The beta phase, which began in mid-2024, saw high demand from IT admins across industries. Feedback focused on ShArc’s reliability, simplicity, and immediate ROI. Several testers have already transitioned from OneDrive storage for long-term archiving and report dramatically improved performance.

"ShArc has done what Microsoft clearly refused to do. Utilizing a cheaper cold storage approach as a backend for live active SharePoint sites is perfect! End users don't see a change but data storage costs are kept in control. Its an ingenious solution to a problem all SharePoint admins face."

John Terrence  |  IT Manager  |  Simple Mills Inc.

Unlike traditional solutions that require complex setups or interrupt users’ workflows, ShArc was designed to integrate seamlessly into existing SharePoint environments. Key features include:

• One-click retrieval: Users can open archived files directly from SharePoint or Teams via a simple stub file.
• Intuitive dashboard: Monitor storage capacity, track archive jobs, and preview space savings.
• Scheduled offloading: Set archiving rules to run automatically—daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Advanced security: Keep all data in your own Microsoft Azure tenant using OAuth 2.0 and Microsoft Entra ID authentication.
• Version clean-up: Reduces version history from 500 to just one during the offload. 

• Same interface for users
• No loss of metadata
• Safe and compliance conform
• Data retrieval without the need to involve IT = more time for IT Admins

No need to involve IT in data retrievalEverything happens behind the scenes—your users won’t notice a thing, but your IT department and finance team definitely will.

Version 1.0 includes scheduled offloading, automatic file retrieval, and real-time reporting. Upcoming features on the roadmap include: 

• Exeption rules for end-user control 
• Built-in analysis tools to detect unnecessary data
• Full Azure Marketplace listing

Whether you're struggling with SharePoint storage limits, searching for a OneDrive alternative, or just looking to save money without adding admin overhead—ShArc is your next smart move.