Since the rise of archiving systems in business more than a decade ago, the technology has made great strides forward. Recently, stringent regulations (e.g., SEC-Rule 17a-4) and highly demanding litigation procedures (e.g., the amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure) have amplified the need for a strong archive system.
Messaging systems such as Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - Microsoft's latest version of Exchange Server - have also seen their share of changes and improvements in archiving and compliance.
This document is intended as a guide and a blueprint for organizations looking at deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Mimosa NearPoint in their environment.
The benefits of first developing and then automating an email retention policy are threefold:
- More effective regulatory compliance - Email retention for regulatory compliance isn’t a choice, but rather an absolute requirement. The only choice your company will have is in how you meet the requirements: manually or with an email archiving automation system.
- Better legal risk management - The ability to show a court an updated and regularly enforced email retention policy can demonstrate retention policy intent and negate claims of spoliation by the plaintiff's attorney.
- More consistent corporate governance - An effective retention policy ensures that information is available for some period of time, and an email archiving system allows for quick search and reference.
