There’s no doubt about it: e-mail has become the single most important communication tool for businesses. But messages pile up quick, taking up storage space that can be expensive to back up. And since deleting everything isn’t always an option when certain threads contain important info about projects, contracts and client communications, the smartest option it to archive your inbox.

Archiving is simply a process of removing old (but important) e-mails from your “active” inbox and folders to a compressed, encrypted backup, freeing up space in your inbox and preserving your e-mails should you need to dig them up at some point in the future. Should you archive? The answer is “Yes” for 3 important reasons:

1. 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. It’s inevitable that you will have e-mail messages touching one or more of these areas that you are  required by law to keep for a period of time.

2. Litigation Support: Almost every  company operating will, at some point, be implicated in a lawsuit. When that happens, the court may require you to produce all records and communications relevant to the case in a “timely manner,” no matter how far back the communications took place. If a good email archiving solution wasn’t used, it could cost MORE to conduct the discovery than the cost of the case itself.

3. Storage Management: If you don’t want to be forced to delete current  emails make room for new messages, then archiving is a smart option. 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.