Archiving methods will also vary with the enterprise. For example, an ISP might give a user a POP access account for e-mail, which is downloaded and stored locally on a user's PC. An ISP's e-mail archive service could be set up to archive each e-mail on the server as it was downloaded and delivered to a user's mailbox. In a Microsoft Exchange environment, e-mail is stored on the server. Users can retrieve mail from the server either manually or automatically, said Morris. Identifying the e-mails to keep
In order to filter out the e-mails you want to save, you need to set an e-mail system policy. You probably don't want to have a policy that archives all of your e-mails, Fisher said, because saving everything will only create more problems. Many e-mail servers have programs or use third-party applications that automatically scan the subject and text of a message for certain keywords. For example, you can set a policy where the words financial, disclosure, or signature will alert a filter that the message should be archived. You can also tell a filter that a message with lunch, drinks, or racquetball should not be archived. However, an e-mail containing the word lunch may also include important information about what was discussed at a business lunch. For this reason, Tumbleweed offers a Web-based browser feature that allows borderline e-mails to be reviewed and archived or deleted. Tagging the content
When your filters identify a message for archiving, it's a good idea to immediately tag that message. A tag identifies a piece of predetermined language in a text. Fisher explained that a manager set up the archiving program to automatically tag e-mails based on their content just before they are archived. Tagging e-mails makes it easy to categorise them, which facilitates retrieval. "So later when I want to go through any type of investigation or review, I can easily pull that information up without having to go through millions of messages looking for that type of content," he said. Storing the content
Where to keep e-mails, especially those that you may need to store for a few years, can be a confusing process because there are many options for long-term storage. First, don't archive e-mails on an active server, such as an Exchange server. It's better to place an archive on a separate storage device. Fisher suggested several methods that will work for most organisations:
- A database reserved for the archive
- A data tape
- A set of CDs
- An optical disk
Morris explained that the information in e-mails is your organisation's corporate memory. It should be stored for future reference and in some cases because archiving e-mails is required by law. Morris said he would personally like to have an archive of e-mails sent by his predecessor. "There are decisions that have been made in the past that I, as a current employee, would benefit from tremendously," Morris said.
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