LONDON - In today's business world, email archiving has shifted from optional to corporate necessity.

"Emails are the most prevalent form of communication and companies that overlook regulatory compliance are sure to find data and financial losses inevitable," said Robin Bingeman of Cryoserver, an email archiving software. "You need to store, protect, manage and ensure authenticity of your organization's intellectual capital and in turn you can improve business operations."

Streamline

Storage issues are among the biggest concerns for companies and most of it is due to poor data management, said the email server expert. To prevent unnecessary files from being stored or archived, companies need to employ a solution that can filter such emails, as they can fill up storage devices quickly.

Many companies find the easiest way to prevent storage issues is by imposing storage quotas on employees. The problem with quotas is that employees could be deleting important information in an effort to stay below their storage allocation. Some employees will also create desktop PST files that make finding information harder and more time-consuming during audits or E-discovery.

Implementing a solution with built-in filter capabilities and PST file management tools can keep irrelevant information from being archived and also centralizes desktop files so they can be searched easily.

Manage Risk

Hourly employees to executives can mishandle information, which is why it is important to find a solution that can set policies by user. Deleting files or emails can leave your company at risk for legal implications, as you will be held responsible for their actions. Setting policies by users can protect you and your company.

Companies regulated by the Financial Services Authority need more protection than just backing up emails daily on a disc. The problem with disc backup is that it is time consuming and expensive. Discs are also ineffective for companies that run backups at the end of the day, as any emails deleted during the day will not be stored. A solution that archives in real time will capture and store all emails sent into, within and out of an organization and place them in a secure, tamper-evident repository.

Secure storage and backup software not only protects your organization's important communications, but they can also restrict employee's access to stored information. Only senders and recipients may retrieve their messages and any activity in the repository is recorded so that managers can see how their employees are using the archive and for what purpose.

Employees can also access their email seamlessly in the event of a server outage, software upgrade or maintenance period. This allows the company to always have access to their email system and archive, no matter where they are.

"When choosing which solution to implement, shop around, really evaluate each product and ensure they are giving you exactly what you need," the exchange email and backup recovery professional said. "Most companies that find the benefits of being compliant outweigh the cost of the product."

Properly managing your organization's email files and attachments is more important than ever. Your email contains critical information and, in some cases, trade secrets, that if put in the wrong hands could result in hefty fines. Protect yourself and your company.

© 2012 Master Google and Cryoserver. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Master Google, a company that offers SEO marketing, is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links

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LONDON - The line between personal time and professional time is becoming blurred as more employees use laptops, smart phones and tablets to stay connected. While technology can be a wonderful thing, it can also complicate the lives of our employees, said Robin Bingeman of Cryoserver, an email archiving software.

Of the 100 emails sent to each employee per day, 15 percent of the messages are business related and the rest are spam, personal or a waste of time, according the email archiving provider.

In late 2011 Volkswagen decided to stop servers from routing emails 30 minutes after work and then to resume normal operation 30 minutes before the start of the workday. The company implemented this policy to help employees maintain a balance between their work and personal life.

The decision for Volkswagen to put a halt to their email server came after information technology services giant Atos banned internal emails until 2014. The idea came after the company found employees were spending more time checking emails rather than focusing on tasks at hand.

"I agree that employees need time away from the office where they do not feel as though they are on-call 24/7," said the exchange email compliance professional. "But there are some underlying issues here that I think these companies are neglecting to address."

If employees are only finding 15 percent of their daily emails to be useful, it says to me that there is no governance, no way to hold senders and recipients accountable for the time they spend on the server, said Bingeman. We need to change the behavior of how email is used rather than ban internal emails.

If these companies were to employ an email archive and make the employees aware of its implementation, they would be using company email more formally, professionally and efficiently. When every email sent to and within an organization is archived, employees tend to shy away from forwarding gossipy or informal emails.

"A government organisation came to us with the very same problem that Volkswagen and Atos have," said Bingeman. "Instead of shutting off or banning the email servers from routing emails, we told the employees that their emails would be archived. They saw an 80 percent reduction in email volumes and have enjoyed the cost savings of more productive employees."

There is no need for the drastic measures these companies have taken, said Bingeman. Sometimes the fix can be as simple as changing the way employees use the email server, but the first step should be an investigation into what your employees are using email for.

As for the blurring of lines between personal life and business life, companies should develop a set of initiatives to ensure their employees are getting the time away from work that they need. Whatever the conclusion you come to, there should never be a reason for shutting down email servers completely.

© 2012 Master Google and Cryoserver. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Master Google, a Google press release service, is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links

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