Retire outdated security guidance by choosing one of four outcomes per page: update it, redirect it to its replacement, archive it behind a clear "do not follow" banner, or delete it. Pick based on whether the topic still exists, whether others link to the page, and whether it might still be needed as a record.
Why leaving old pages is a risk
An out of date page is worse than no page. It looks authoritative, it is often well ranked in search, and it may tell people to use a tool, setting or process you have since dropped. Engineers follow it, and the result can be a missed control or a failed audit.
Decision table
| Situation | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Topic still matters, content is wrong | Update | Assign an owner and a review date |
| Topic merged into a newer page | Redirect | Keep the old URL working |
| Needed as history or evidence | Archive | Banner at top, removed from search and sidebar where possible |
| Topic gone, no value, no links | Delete | Check history for sensitive data first |
| You cannot tell | Mark unverified | Set a date to decide, then act |
Steps
- Find candidates. List pages with no edits in over a year, no owner, or an owner who left. Add pages that mention retired tools.
- Ask the owner. Give them two weeks to claim a page. No reply means the page moves to the next step.
- Pick an action from the table and write one line on why.
- Fix links. Search for inbound links from other pages, tickets and templates. Update them to the replacement.
- Apply the action and record it in a short retirement log: page, date, action, reason, approver.
- Check a month later that nobody is hitting the old URL, using the search or access logs you have.
What an archive banner says
Keep it plain and put it above the title: "This page is archived and no longer reflects current practice. Last accurate: [date]. Use [link] instead." Do not leave archived runbooks in the same list as live ones, or someone will follow one by mistake.
Deleting safely
Before deleting, review the page history. If a page ever held credentials or customer data, deleting the page may not remove it from history. Handle that as a possible exposure: rotate anything that was real. See what should never go in a security wiki.
For compliance records, keep what your retention rules say you must. Ask your compliance owner, because the answer depends on your obligations.
Redirects matter
If the page had links from outside the wiki, such as tickets, README files or old training slides, a redirect keeps those links useful. Redirects and status codes for moved or deleted docs explains the technical side for public docs.
Where Safeguard fits
Guidance about specific tools and versions goes stale fastest. Safeguard's continuous scanning gives you a current picture of what is actually in use, which helps you spot pages that describe things you no longer run.
Quick check
How old is too old?
There is no single age. Use risk: a runbook for a retired system is stale at once, while a stable policy can be fine after a year if reviewed.
Should archived pages stay searchable?
Preferably not in the main search. If they must be findable, the banner must be unmistakable.
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
