When choosing an archiving solution, businesses have various options. The right solution will depend on business needs. For instance, consider whether the organization will need to archive email messages from multiple platforms. Additionally, consider regulatory requirements, as well as how much granular control the organization will need.

Two popular email archiving solutions include the Microsoft 365 Business Standard email archive and eGovernance archive. Each solution offers significant benefits for small businesses. Organizations should carefully evaluate their needs and budgets as they select the archiving solution most suited to their purposes.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard Email Archiving

Microsoft 365 Business Standard offers email archiving as part of its cloud-based productivity suite. This option is scalable, easy to set up and use. And it offers important email security and compliance features. With Microsoft email archiving, business users can:

• Access archived email messages from Outlook on the web, Outlook desktop app or Outlook mobile app.
• Search archived email messages using keywords, filters, and advanced query syntax.
• Apply retention policies to archived email messages to automatically delete or preserve them based on predefined criteria.
• Place archived email messages on hold to prevent deletion or modification for legal or investigative purposes.
• Export their archived email messages to a PST file or an Azure storage location for backup or migration purposes.

However, Microsoft email archiving does have several limitations that small businesses need to consider. For example, it does not support third-party email platforms or applications, such as Gmail or Thunderbird. And it does not provide granular control over archiving policies, such as excluding certain folders or attachments from archiving.

Additionally, certain archiving features remain tied to Microsoft licensing levels. Consequently, organizations may not benefit from uniform coverage throughout the organization. Since companies often choose to adjust licensing based on job functions, this can leave part of the workforce without adequate archiving features.

eGovernance Email Archiving

Like the Microsoft solution, eGovernance email archiving offers immediate scalability and 24×7 access to archived email messages. Powerful search capabilities aid users and eDiscovery efforts, and organizations can apply retention policies and automated holds. Also, important security controls keep the archives secure and compliant.

In addition, the eGovernance solution provides critical features not available through Microsoft. For instance, eGovernance:

• Supports multiple email platforms and applications, from Microsoft 365 to Gmail, Thunderbird and more.
• Provides granular control over archiving policies, such as excluding certain folders or attachments from archiving. Organizations can also apply retention rules based on keywords or metadata.
• Offers advanced features such as deduplication, compression, analytics, auditing, and reporting.
• Provides uniform coverage regardless of Microsoft licensing level. This means that discovery services and policy-based retention remain consistent across all enterprise and business licensing levels.

eGovernance does require some technical expertise to implement. Businesses will achieve optimal results when partnering with eGovernance consultants. However, users will find the system easy to use. Even beginners can perform sophisticated searches of their archives without memorizing Boolean syntax and statements.

How to Archive Email Records for Small Business with Expert Help

As organizations decide how to archive email records for small business, they should look carefully at their email environment and business needs. They should also review retention needs and regulatory requirements.

Whether organizations choose Microsoft or eGovernance for email archiving, the archiving consultants at eMazzanti and Messaging Architects can help. As Microsoft partners, and with deep expertise in eGovernance, they will ensure that organizations optimize the archiving process to support business goals.

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For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) mandates that publicly traded companies indefinitely retain emails related to insider dealings. Banking laws mandate a five-year retention period. Numerous additional laws and industry regulations require various retention periods for certain types of emails.

To stay compliant, companies turn to archiving solutions. But the various solutions offer a wide range of features, and organizations must define and enforce retention policies. The process can prove complex, but these best practices will help organizations achieve compliance while supporting productive work.

Business Email Archiving vs. Backup

Archiving differs from an email backup and involves more than simply storing a copy of electronic information. Whereas a backup provides short-term insurance in case of disaster or accidental deletion, archives provide quick access to decades of important data.

Businesses archive email for several reasons. In addition to regulatory compliance, they preserve electronic data to aid in internal investigations, as well as eDIscovery for litigation and documentation of intellectual property. Archives also streamline records management by removing old data out of active mailboxes.

Because archived data must remain preserved in its original form, archiving systems operate under specific requirements. The organization must implement strict security controls and ensure that archived data is not altered in any way. Emails and attachments within the archive should be indexed to facilitate quick search and retrieval of relevant data.

Carefully Review Regulatory Requirements

Any organization could be subject to multiple federal and state laws, as well as industry regulations. Each law or regulation has its own retention requirements, and failure to comply can result in hefty penalties, reputation damage or even prison time.

To complicate matters, new privacy laws such as California’s CPRA mandate timely disposal of certain types of information. As a result, companies can no longer take the easy way out and simply keep all emails indefinitely.

Keep an eye on the regulatory landscape and consult your legal team on a regular basis to ensure ongoing compliance.

Update Retention Policies Regularly

Retention policies play a critical role in archiving. These policies indicate what data should be retained and for how long. Because business needs and regulations change periodically, organizations should review and update retention policies at least annually. In addition to the legal team, stakeholders from every department should provide input.

Embrace Automation

No matter how carefully the compliance team documents retention policies, relying on users to implement the policies manually is neither feasible nor defensible. A good archiving system will include tools to automate enforcement of retention policies. With automation, archiving and disposal happen behind the scenes, according to policy and without end user intervention.

Ensure a Tamper-proof Archive

In the event of litigation and to demonstrate compliance, the organization must be able to show a defensible chain of custody and prove that electronic data has not been edited. This requires a tamper-proof archiving system. For instance, PST files do not provide the necessary protection against corruption and should be avoided.

In addition to guarding against data corruption and editing, archiving solutions must incorporate tight security controls. This includes data encryption, both in transit and at rest. And it includes solid access management with comprehensive auditing.

Explore the Benefits of Cloud-based Business Email Archiving

Modern cloud archive solutions provide a host of business benefits. For instance, eGovernance Cloud:

• Offers dynamic data management through policy-based retention and disposal of data.
• Ensures tamper-proof archives with a read-only view into older data.
• Saves storage space by eliminating duplication.
• Allows you to retain control of your data with unlimited export functionality.
• Provides powerful search tools for both beginners and professionals, making it easy to find the data you need quickly.
• Keeps data safe with a physically separate, searchable copy. Users can forward data back to the live system as necessary.

To streamline compliance and increase productivity in your organization contact an archiving specialist to explore eGovernance Cloud archiving solutions.

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