Archiving email defined is the cataloging, sorting, and storage of email in a form that allows for easy retrieval. The emails received and sent to and from a company often contain attachments that also need to be stored and ready for access. Email archiving software exists that handles just such tasks.
Depending on the mail retention policy of any company, there are many ways that this is accomplished. Most companies have depended upon the good judgment of their employees that are engaged in exchanging information through email. A written policy may exist that outlines the procedures that the employee should follow. There may still exist, however, some gray area in which individual judgment must take place. Whether or not that employee believes a piece of information to be important enough to archive may leave too much to chance.
There are federal laws in place that now regulate internet communications between companies and their customers, suppliers, and other contacts. The law provides for the retrieval of documents and communications in the event of a crime or any litigation that may take place. Some companies that are regulated by laws must be transparent in their communications.
The laws require that emails are kept intact including any attachments received with the original communication. They must be kept as received or sent in original form and for a specific period of time. There should be no access to this information except by authorized individuals and all emails must be impossible to change. This allows for complete audits to be performed and provides the necessary "paper trail".
The easiest way to achieve this is to use an email archiving system. Datacove.net provides many solutions to this potentially time consuming and space consuming problem.
For example, imagine being asked for a document or documents regarding communication that took place between your company and a client two or three years prior on a specific date or regarding a specific subject or transaction. With email archiving software the information can quickly and easily be retrieved with a search feature. By archiving email, your company will also save server space. Datacove.net can store all of your email communications in a separate location. That means a faster server for your everyday use. The self storing of emails and attachments can become a burden on your servers very quickly. The IT team will spend much less time on backup of your system as well.
Overall, the idea of going outside of your own n system to create an archive is smart business. The usage of a third party also gives an added layer of accountability to your information storage. If you have ever attempted to retrieve a piece of email communication from a past issue, you know the time consumed can be, and usually is, expensive.
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