Exploring Email Archiving: Functionality and Significance

a) What is email archiving ?

Email archiving is a secure, fast, and reliable method for securely storing old emails, reducing the load on mail servers, and making search and retrieval easier. It is particularly useful for those who don’t need immediate access but don’t want to delete them.

b) What is the purpose of archiving emails ?

1. Compliance

Email archiving is crucial for organizations adhering to federal regulations for sensitive documents, ensuring tamper-proof, redundant storage, particularly in industries with stringent email regulations.

2. E-discovery

E-discovery is the process of obtaining electronic information for litigation, audits, or other cases, and email archiving aids in this process by simplifying the retrieval of emails under a subpoena.

3. Storage management

Archiving older emails reduces mail server storage capacity, speeds up inboxes, and aids IT teams in protecting sensitive information.

4. Business continuity

Email archiving helps restore inboxes after a cyberattack, ensuring organizations can continue to perform their core functions.

c) How does it work ?

Email archiving involves moving emails from your main inbox to a separate archive, storing only important emails for future access. It’s important to remember that not all emails should be archived, and spam or irrelevant emails can be chosen to be deleted. Email archiving may not meet organizational compliance or operational requirements, depending on your organization’s email archiving tools.

d) What are the best practices for email archiving ?

1. Review laws and regulations

Governments and agencies have the power to change regulations, and organizations should strive to comply with regulations.

2. Create or update a retention policy

To ensure compliance and efficiency, review your current retention policy and make necessary changes using an email archiving solution to automate your retention policy.

3. Make sure employees understand retention policies

Organizations can enhance security awareness by discussing email retention policies with employees and emphasizing their importance in maintaining security.