Email Archiving Ain’t Records Management: How to Manage Email Messages as Records Jesse Wilkins, emm m March 18, 2009

EMAIL MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Email archiving Copy or remove messages from messaging application store to other storage Enforce rules for archiving based on age, size, user, or mailbox quotas Enable centralized message capture and management

Copy or remove messages from messaging application store to other storage

Enforce rules for archiving based on age, size, user, or mailbox quotas

Enable centralized message capture and management

Email compliance Provide compliance functionality for specific requirements HIPAA, S-OX, etc. Message monitoring and notification Message auditing Incident and case management

Provide compliance functionality for specific requirements

HIPAA, S-OX, etc.

Message monitoring

and notification

Message auditing

Incident and case

management

Email discovery Provide litigation hold for email messaging system Message search, review, and production Evidence preservation Annotation and redaction Case management

Provide litigation hold for email messaging system

Message search, review, and production

Evidence preservation

Annotation and redaction

Case management

Encryption and digital signatures Encryption solutions encrypt messages from - and sometimes within - the organization Digital signature solutions used to sign messages from the organization Generally managed centrally

Encryption solutions encrypt messages from - and sometimes within - the organization

Digital signature solutions used to sign messages from the organization

Generally managed

centrally

Email security Designed to protect the organization from external threats May provide attachment blocking and filtering May protect against directory harvest attacks May provide spam blocking

Designed to protect the organization

from external threats

May provide attachment

blocking and filtering

May protect against directory

harvest attacks

May provide spam blocking

Personal archive management Search the network to find .pst files Extract messages and moves them into the email archive May also leave .pst files in place but note location and index their contents Often provide single-instance storage and de-duplication Enforce policies for .pst files

Search the network to find .pst files

Extract messages and moves them into the email archive

May also leave .pst files in place but note location and index their contents

Often provide single-instance storage and de-duplication

Enforce policies for .pst files

Policy management Provide enforcement of policies and procedures Ethical walls Content filtering Attachment filtering May also provide audit trails for actions taken

Provide enforcement of

policies and procedures

Ethical walls

Content filtering

Attachment filtering

May also provide audit

trails for actions taken

ECM and ERM solutions Provide a wide variety of information-related functionality Messages can be stored in most of them Most provide some email archival capabilities May connect to dedicated email management solutions

Provide a wide variety of information-related functionality

Messages can be stored in most of them

Most provide some email archival capabilities

May connect to dedicated email management solutions

Print & file Common approach Challenges: Loss of metadata Rich media attachments Volume to print Volume to file

Common approach

Challenges:

Loss of metadata

Rich media attachments

Volume to print

Volume to file

Backup tapes Backups store data, not files or messages Designed for “smoke & rubble scenario Multiple copies of data Readability of older tapes Format, media, hardware

Backups store data, not files or messages

Designed for “smoke & rubble scenario

Multiple copies of data

Readability of older tapes

Format, media, hardware

MANAGING EMAIL MORE EFFECTIVELY

Common inbox assumptions All email is important All email requires an immediate response All email should be kept indefinitely These are often not true

All email is important

All email requires an immediate response

All email should be kept indefinitely

These are often

not true

General principles Email management is part of time management Email should not be used for everything Email should be kept as long as needed – and then gotten rid of

Email management is part of time management

Email should not be used for everything

Email should be kept as long as needed – and then gotten rid of

Inbox management model Set up rules for “important” vs. routine messages Consider turning off alerts for incoming messages Make rules about which messages have alerts Define specific times to check email

Set up rules for “important” vs. routine messages

Consider turning off alerts for incoming messages

Make rules about which messages have alerts

Define specific times to check email

Inbox management cont’d Try to touch each message only once Respond to it immediately Respond to it later Declare it as a record Archive it for reference Delete it

Try to touch each message only once

Respond to it immediately

Respond to it later

Declare it as a record

Archive it for reference

Delete it

Reducing received emails Lots of email traffic is stuff we ask for! “ Bacn” Some is internal, but unnecessary “ Colleague spam” Ask others not to send it if you don’t need it

Lots of email traffic is stuff we ask for!

“ Bacn”

Some is internal, but unnecessary

“ Colleague spam”

Ask others not to send it if you don’t need it

Reducing sent emails Do you really have to reply? Don’t send “Me too” messages Use other tools for collaboration About staying “ off the record”…

Do you really have to reply?

Don’t send “Me too” messages

Use other tools

for collaboration

About staying

“ off the record”…

Cc: and Bcc: Can be useful, but often overused Perceived to provide accountability Better practice: use them only when really needed Especially BCC: as these are harder to track

Can be useful, but often overused

Perceived to provide accountability

Better practice: use them only when really needed

Especially BCC: as these are harder to track

Effective email usage – addressees Verify addressee(s) When replying, reply only to those who need a response Remove those who don’t Watch responses to groups, lists Reply-to vs. reply-all

Verify addressee(s)

When replying, reply only to those who need a response

Remove those who don’t

Watch responses to groups, lists

Reply-to vs. reply-all

Effective email usage - body Use professional tone in messages Threading: Message vs. response Don’t write essays where notes will do

Use professional tone in messages

Threading: Message vs. response

Don’t write essays where notes will do

Effective email usage - attachments Consider the file size of the attachment to be sent Consider the file type to be sent Security filtering Multimedia formats

Consider the file size of the attachment to be sent

Consider the file type to be sent

Security filtering

Multimedia formats

Effective email usage - attachments Can the recipient receive attachments? Send attachments only to users that truly need them Send links instead of attachments

Can the recipient receive

attachments?

Send attachments only to users that truly need them

Send links instead of attachments

Email policy principles Email belongs to the organization, not the individual Email is not a records series unto itself Email management program must comply with appropriate regulatory requirements Policy has to be followed and enforced!

Email belongs to the organization, not the individual

Email is not a records series unto itself

Email management program must comply with appropriate regulatory requirements

Policy has to be followed and enforced!

Email policy elements Acceptable/appropriate usage Personal usage Access to external messaging systems Effective email usage Ownership of email Retention and disposition Legal issues Holds Discovery and production

Acceptable/appropriate usage

Personal usage

Access to external messaging systems

Effective email usage

Ownership of email

Retention and disposition

Legal issues

Holds

Discovery and production

Email policy elements Mobile access to email Web-based email Backups and archival Privacy Security Retention and disposition Training Audit and compliance

Mobile access to email

Web-based email

Backups and archival

Privacy

Security

Retention and disposition

Training

Audit and compliance

Questions?

Conclusion We have to manage messaging technologies better It starts with policies and procedures Technology can help Communicate, communicate, communicate Enforce the program

We have to manage messaging technologies better

It starts with policies and procedures

Technology can help

Communicate, communicate, communicate

Enforce the program

For more information Jesse Wilkins, emm m , erm m , ecm m , CDIA+, LIT/ERM Principal Consultant Access Sciences Corporation (303) 574-0749 direct [email_address] Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins

Jesse Wilkins, emm m , erm m , ecm m , CDIA+, LIT/ERM

Principal Consultant

Access Sciences Corporation

(303) 574-0749 direct

[email_address]

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins