How do you handle email discovery and e-discovery requests with email archiving solutions?

1 What is email archiving?

Email archiving is the process of capturing, storing, and indexing email messages and attachments for long-term retention and retrieval. Email archiving solutions are software or cloud-based services that automate this process and provide a centralized repository for your email data. Such solutions can help you preserve records for compliance, audit, and legal purposes; reduce storage costs and improve server performance; enhance email security; improve email productivity and user experience; and support email discovery and e-discovery requests by providing advanced search, export, and review capabilities.

2 How to choose an email archiving solution?

When selecting an email archiving solution, it’s essential to consider its compatibility with your email platform, scalability to handle current and future email volume, security measures to protect data, compliance with relevant regulations and standards, and powerful discovery features. The solution should be compatible with your email platform, such as Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, or Gmail, and should offer flexible storage options and pricing plans. It must use encryption, authentication, authorization, backup, and recovery mechanisms to protect your email data from unauthorized access. Additionally, the solution should comply with applicable regulations and standards in your industry and jurisdiction. Finally, the solution should provide user-friendly discovery features that allow you to search, filter, tag, export, and review email data based on various criteria.

3 How to use an email archiving solution for email discovery and e-discovery?

Once you have chosen and implemented an email archiving solution, you can use it to handle email discovery and e-discovery requests in several steps. Firstly, you should review the request and determine the scope of the email data that needs to be produced. It is also important to communicate with the requesting party and clarify any questions or issues that may arise. Next, you should use the email archiving solution's search and filter features to locate the relevant and responsive email data that matches the request's criteria. Then, use the tagging feature to mark the email data that should be included or excluded from production. After this, use the export feature to export the tagged email data and review it to verify accuracy and completeness. Additionally, check for any privileged or confidential information that may need to be redacted or withheld from production. Finally, deliver the email data to the requesting party in the specified format and manner, while keeping a record of what was delivered and when.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?