Systems, methods and products for performing file retention operations in a system in which a content management system accesses multiple cloud-based data stores that are compliant with a common file transfer protocol, but use different vendor-specific protocols for file retention operations, where a retention framework is coupled between the content management system and the data stores. The content management system performs file access operations by accessing an SDK that generates requests for these operations which follow the common set of protocols. The content management system performs file retention operations by accessing a retention framework that uses the information received from the content management system to identify the targeted file, identify the data store in which the targeted file is stored, and generate a request for a retention operation that is configured according to the data-store-specific retention protocols which correspond to the identified data store.