Data retention doesn’t mean that you have to delete OR store every email. In order to respond to a claim or information request you will need to be able to find emails quickly. Installing email archiving software such as MailMeter means that you can find relevant emails in seconds. GDPR does not dictate how long you should keep personal data. You need to be able to justify why it is kept. The ICO has some great data retention examples on their website https://ico.org.uk/
In an ideal world, the emails that you need to keep for legal purposes can be searched quickly. MailMeter email archiving software makes this possible whilst maintaining your data retention policy. Email archiving can be broken into 3 simple steps.
Data retention – strategy and readiness
Update your email policy to include the archiving of email data. Ensure that sent and received mail, and attachments are clearly outlined. Tell employees about the changes to the existing policy and the new email archiving process. Ensure they understand the reasons for this measure, for example,
- email compliance
- business security reasons
- how, if any, impact will be made upon their email use.
If required, restore any previous email backups for a complete archive index.
Migration and operations
MailMeter makes the email archive solution migration process very straightforward. Your archive can be up and running immediately. This allows employees to become acquainted with any new interfaces and the email archiving process. We offer supplementary training, such as IT, HR, and legal teams who may use special features of the archive for compliance, claims, records requests, etc.
If, in the future, your email policy needs adjustments as new procedures are put into place this can be done easily. On a day-to-day basis, your email archive will need very little maintenance and monitoring.
To find out how easy it is to get started with email archiving, call us today!
Data Retention Principles
Data retention principles are a set of policies and guidelines that govern the length of time organizations keep data certain types. The principles vary depending on the industry, jurisdiction, and type of data involved. Some common data retention principles include:
- Legal compliance: Organizations must retain data for the minimum amount of time required by law.
- Business requirements: Certain data may need to be retained for business purposes such as auditing, financial reporting, or to support ongoing operations.
- Data minimization: Organizations should only retain data that is necessary for specific purposes and should dispose of it when it is no longer required.
- Data security: Retained data should be protected from unauthorized access, modification, or loss.
- Transparency: Organizations should have clear policies and procedures in place.
- Policies should be communicated to relevant stakeholders.