Email archiving is a way to securely store and organise your business emails so they can be easily searched and retrieved later. For Australian small and mid-sized businesses using Microsoft 365, it's not just about saving space or keeping old messages; it's about meeting legal and regulatory requirements, protecting your business data, and ensuring you can respond quickly if you need to find specific emails.
From a business perspective, having a proper email archiving system helps reduce risks related to data loss, accidental deletion, or cyberattacks. If an employee deletes an important email or if your system is compromised, archived emails act as a reliable backup. This can prevent costly downtime or disputes with customers and suppliers. Additionally, many industries in Australia have compliance obligations that require you to keep email records for a certain period. Without archiving, you might struggle to prove you've met these obligations, which can damage your reputation and lead to penalties.
Why this matters for Australian SMBs
Consider a typical Australian company with 50 staff using Microsoft 365 for daily communication. One day, a customer raises a dispute about a contract change that was agreed to via email six months ago. Without an effective archiving solution, the company may have trouble locating the exact email thread quickly. This delays resolution, frustrates the customer, and potentially risks losing the client. A managed IT provider who understands compliance can set up Microsoft 365 archiving policies that automatically retain emails in a secure, tamper-proof system, making retrieval fast and reliable.
Moreover, archiving supports internal investigations or audits by preserving emails in their original state, which is crucial if you face regulatory scrutiny. It also helps maintain staff productivity by reducing the time spent searching through inboxes or shared folders.
Checklist: What to do about email archiving
- Ask your IT provider: Do you offer Microsoft 365 email archiving as part of your service? How do you ensure archived emails are secure and compliant with Australian regulations?
- Review your Microsoft 365 plan: Does it include native archiving features like In-Place Archiving or Litigation Hold? If not, what add-ons or third-party tools do you recommend?
- Check retention policies: Are your email retention settings aligned with your industry's compliance requirements? Can you customise retention periods per department or email type?
- Test email retrieval: Perform a simple search for archived emails to verify how quickly and easily you can access them when needed.
- Verify access controls: Who in your organisation can access archived emails? Ensure this is limited to authorised personnel to protect sensitive information.
- Backup and disaster recovery: Confirm that archived emails are included in your broader backup strategy to guard against data loss from hardware failure or cyber incidents.
Next steps
If you're unsure whether your current Microsoft 365 setup includes adequate email archiving, or if you want to improve your compliance and data protection, consider consulting a trusted managed IT provider. They can assess your business needs, explain the options clearly, and help implement a solution that fits your size and industry requirements without unnecessary complexity.