Being part of the Information Age, having an email is more than necessary. Not only can you use it for subscriptions to your favorite websites, but you can also use it in different business matters. Using it for professional communication and receiving useful information sometimes leads to the inbox getting cluttered. That’s why this article will help explain why email archiving is important and how it can help organize your inbox.
Most email users, especially in the corporate world, have struggled with storage space and finding specific emails easier. So instead of spending time navigating through dozens of emails, there might be a more effective way to do so and email archiving is the right option.
Continue reading to discover how important is email archiving and how you can benefit from it.
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What Is Email Archiving?
Before discovering the email archiving importance, you first need to understand what it is. This process involves securely storing select emails in a separate folder. The archiving feature has been available throughout many different platforms for years.
Besides reducing the load on the email servers, it also helps with better organization and smoother navigation. While also securing message safety, finding and retrieving the ones you need will be easier. So when you find yourself in a situation where there’s an important email you don’t want to delete but can’t keep in your inbox, archiving it may be the best solution.
A simple definition that describes email archiving is the process of protecting and preserving outbound and inbound emails so they can be easily accessed when in need in the future. With the help of this feature, you may easily restore accidentally deleted or lost emails.
You’ll also find email archiving to your advantage when dealing with internal investigations and litigation. This way, you’ll have at your reach written proof of conversations and already made deals whenever you need them.
Why Email Archiving Is Important
So what is the point of archiving emails, and why is it so important? Besides providing safe storage servers from which you can access the needed emails, this practice is most important for:
- Storage management
- Legal Requirements
- Regulatory compliance
- Knowledge management
- Business continuity
- Improving productivity
Storage management
The first thing that gives importance to email archiving is the storage management opportunity. If a successful business is flooded with lots of emails per day, this can affect the overall performance of the servers. Even though a single email may not take up a lot of space, it starts to become an issue when more emails pile up.
When an email server runs out of space, you may notice performance issues. The most nerve-wracking one has to be the slow loading speed. Since your mail is used almost daily, this can become a major issue if not addressed on time.
So if you want more storage without having to delete important emails, the simplest way to go is email archiving. With the help of this feature, you may drastically free up more space while also keeping your information safe.
There’s also an option you can use to remove duplicate emails. This way, you won’t have to use unnecessary space by having two versions of the same document.
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Legal requirements
The second benefit of email archiving is for any unforeseen legal requirements. It’s of utmost importance for every company to keep track of their emails and information. In case of legal investigations and questioning, you’ll have all the needed written proof at your disposal.
When dealing with litigation, your business may make use of documentation dating back years before. Thus, there are two main features email archiving offers. These are e-discovery and tamper-proofing.
E-discovery
E-discovery is short for “electronic discovery”. It includes the process of gathering electronic proof during litigation, government investigations, or criminal proceedings. This type of digital investigation focuses on emails, messages, audio files, and other electronic formats in order to gather evidence.
If you’re ever required to find and show these types of documentation manually, you’ll be met with an impossible and time-consuming task. But with the help of email archiving, you can make this process fast and effortless.
Many email archiving services offer the option to tag and comment on specific documents. Furthermore, you can make use of the navigation bar to search for the needed emails. Whether it’s the sender, receiver, timeframe, or email subject you’re looking up, you can easily find the needed emails containing them.
Tamper-proofing
The next way email archiving may help with legal requirements is by allowing you a tamper-proofing storage space. But be aware that this feature is available only in specific archiving softwares. Thus, you should always ensure to check what features they offer before investing in one.
By choosing such software, you protect your archived emails from being deleted or manipulated. In most cases, a password-restricted login will be required to access them. Even if some of the employees have it, their actions while being logged in will be recorded.
Regulatory compliance
The next importance of email archiving is based on regulatory compliance. This is a set of rules that an organization has to follow when it comes to protecting sensitive information. Furthermore, this type of compliance mostly affects businesses that work with digital assets, private communications, and consumer data.
Companies may also be asked to oblige General Data Protection Regulations and store specific data for a certain time frame. If that’s the case, you’ll have to answer any customer’s request to access their data within 30 days. So by archiving emails, you’ll be able to track the needed documentation without much effort.
Another reason why you may be obliged under such compliances is in case of cyberattacks. In case your business gets hacked or you fall victim to ransomware, crucial information may be lost. Thus, archiving your emails will serve as a backup and protect your files.
Knowledge management
As mentioned, email messages are usually the primary communication options for most companies. This means that tons of crucial information can be found in them. Since this is sensitive knowledge, it may risk your company’s safety.
Thus, email archiving is beneficial if you want to track any communication from your employees and clients. Since they’ll be stored in a secure server, you can access them just within a few clicks. With this option, you can keep a close eye on all that goes on in the company and plan out sufficient damage control if an issue arises.
Business continuity
If your company has faced a major disaster, such as falling victim to ransomware, it may seem impossible to continue your business where you left it off. However, with email archiving, you may easily restore all the lost data, files, and information.
Even if you experience an email server crash, your employees can easily access the needed emails through the archive. This ensures business continuity even in cases of emergency without any disruption to the workflow.
Furthermore, there are two main options that go hand-in-hand with continuity. Those are the already mentioned data restoration and storage.
Data restoration
As mentioned, email archiving is crucial for fast and effective data restoration. Even if all your essential files get disordered, you’ll still be able to fully restore them. Furthermore, email archiving may be more cost-effective when compared to other backup or recovery options.
The speed of the recovery time is mostly influenced by the size of the archived data. Thus, since these files take up less space, they’re easier to restore.
Data storage
The advantage of choosing cloud-based storage is that the employees can easily store their data. This feature is of utmost importance if you want to ensure all users’ emails are safe.
It especially comes in handy for those who offer hybrid and remote positions since the employed can store the data either from the home or office. Regardless of the device, email archiving is suitable for both phones and computers.
Improving productivity
Last but not least, email archiving is thought to improve the overall productivity. Your employees will be able to easily restore data that’s been unintentionally deleted and navigate through their inboxes. This way, they won’t have to waste time endlessly scrolling to find what they need.
Most email archiving servers are designed to be easy to use for both admins and end-users. With an easily navigable interface, they’ll be able to recover files, conversations, and attachments. As for the IT techs, they’ll be able to focus on more important matters instead of wasting time on damaged mailboxes.
Another time-saving element email archiving offers is the ability to easily transfer the needed files. Most servers will allow you to download the selected email fast and in the format you desire. This way, you can easily move them around multiple devices or spaces.
Lastly, it can also help the HR team to spot any communication issues between the employees. Not only will you be able to spot any problems, but you’ll also ensure the work flows flawlessly when it comes to the client’s satisfaction. So if you’re looking for an efficient micro-managing tool, email archiving may be the best option.
Different Types of Email Archiving
Now that you’re well-informed about the email archiving importance, you should look into the different options available. Even though this is a widespread practice, it all comes down to a few choices. That being said, the three main types of email archiving you should know about are:
- On-premise email archiving
- Cloud-based email archiving
- Hybrid email archiving
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On-premise email archiving
The first type of email archiving service available is on-site archiving. With a self-explanatory name, this solution is installed and managed on your own company’s servers. It allows you full control over the archived data and is easily accessible.
Furthermore, it captures all your emails within an indexed database, making it easily navigable. This type of solution does require software and hardware investments. But it will be there for the long run. If you want it to serve you flawlessly, then regular IT maintenance is a must.
Even though there are many costs that go with it, on-site email archiving is the safest way to protect your data. Since your company will have full control over it, you won’t have to worry about your emails getting breached.
A small downside is that on-premise email archiving has limited storage space. So once you’ve reached the limit, you’ll have to invest in more storage again.
Cloud-based email archiving
The second most common email archiving type is cloud-based archiving. These solutions don’t require any hardware installments since they’ll be hosted by third-party providers.
Furthermore, they’re a cheaper investment than on-premise archives. This makes them more cost-effective and is quite scalable. Since it’s cloud-based software, it’s easily accessible from anywhere. Thus, it’s a great solution for hybrid and remote positions.
Unlike on-premise email archiving, the cloud-based solution doesn’t have a storage limit. But you will be obliged to pay a monthly subscription fee based on the plan you’ve chosen.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the plan should be based on the number of users that can access the storage.
As for regular maintenance, you won’t have to trouble your IT team, and they can focus on more important tasks. Since a cloud-based solution is managed by third-party providers, they’ll be the ones to maintain it.
The downside of this type of email archiving is that you won’t have full control over it. In case you want to implement some preferences and permissions, you’ll have to contact the designated provider.
Hybrid email archiving
The last type of email archiving is a hybrid solution that combines the two previous ones. Its unique feature is that it stores the older emails in the on-premise storage and the newer ones in the cloud. Since you’ll have the benefits from both options, you can easily find the best solution for your needs.
When it comes to costs, hybrid email archiving holds the middle ground. But it is cost-effective since it’s easily scalable and can optimize your potential.
Conclusion
If you’re still wondering why email archiving is important, remember that it allows you to safely protect your data. In case of a major disaster, such as a cyberattack, you’ll be able to easily restore your files. Furthermore, you can easily access and find old emails due to its navigable interface and search options.
By archiving your emails, you’ll also have an overview of how your company functions. You’ll ensure that the workflow isn’t disrupted and prevent any HR issues that may arise. Lastly, you can organize your workspace, and you’ll get more space in the process!
