1. A method comprising: receiving, by a particular electronic device of a private cloud of electronic devices belonging to a user, a given data item; classifying, by the particular electronic device, the given data item to determine a class of the given data item; based on the classifying, determining, by the particular electronic device, at least one action to apply to the given data item according to a predetermined data management policy specifying a plurality of actions to apply for different classes of data items, the actions including synchronizing a data item with another electronic device of the private cloud, placing a hold on a data item, and sharing a data item among users; applying, by the particular electronic device, deduplication on the given data item to determine a first portion of the given data item that is already available at a server, and a second portion that is not already available at the server; and sending, by the particular electronic device, the second portion of the given data item to the server for handling, without sending the first portion, wherein the handling includes applying, by the server, classification of the given data item at a deeper level based on content of the given data item not considered by the classifying by the particular electronic device, and based on the classification at the deeper level, the server determining at least one further action to apply to the given data item according to a predetermined data management policy at the server.