It can easily be said that e-mail has become the single most important communication tool in businesses. Messages can pile up quickly however, taking up storage space that can be expensive to back up. Since deleting everything isn’t always the best course of action, the smartest option is to archive your inbox.
Archiving is simply the process of removing old (but important) e-mails from your “active” inbox and placing them into a compressed, encrypted backup. This frees up space in your inbox and preserves your e-mails in case you need to dig them up at some point in the future. Here are three important reasons why you should archive:
Compliance Regulation: Obviously some businesses, such as medical offices and financial institutions, are affected by this more than others. However, all records pertaining to a company’s activities are subject to compliance regulation, including employee records and communications, e-mail threads discussing contracts or other negotiations and financial documentation.
Litigation Support: If a lawsuit were to ever happen involving your company, the court may require you to produce all records and communications relevant to the case in a timely manner. If a good e-mail archiving solution wasn’t used, it could cost MORE to conduct the discovery than the cost of the case itself.
Storage Management: If you don’t want to be forced to delete your e-mails to make room for new messages, then archiving is a smart option. This will also allow you to better organize and maintain your inbox.
Of course, not all archiving solutions are created equal. Make sure you consult us on which one would work best for your company before making any decisions.
