Regulatory compliance and eDiscovery have been the key selling points of email archiving solutions for years. Back in the early 2000s, email was the only digital channel used for corporate communication. As such, it wasn’t long before exchanged email started to be considered important business documentation. This meant that secure, tamper-proof and searchable storage of email was vital for both compliance and a successful eDiscovery response. That’s how email archiving was born.
As years went by and businesses began embracing alternative communication channels, the archiving imperatives changed as well. 60-70% of organizations in the US currently use social media, instant messaging platforms and mobile to communicate at work and about work. Regulations that once governed email retention now include these modern-era channels and mandate the retention of records for 3-7 years.
Two thirds of US organizations currently use social media, IM and mobile to communicate at work. #archiving #socialmedia #compliance Click To TweetArchiving Beyond Email
Social Media
Social media emerged as a favorite form of communication at all business levels, from customer service to executive chitchat. Any one of these levels could end up being the focus of a regulatory request or spark a litigation procedure. For this reason, the archival of all social media communication needs to become an important part of your compliance requirements. However, although a vast majority of organizations (more than 90%) are aware that they need to archive email, very few (2-20%) archive social media content.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging (IM) started as a shorthand version of email ‒ a quick way to share opinions or ask questions. Today, however, IM is where important business discussions are held and big decisions are made. For complete compliance with relevant federal and industry regulations and litigation readiness, all IM exchanges need to be retained, just like email. Both social media and IM platforms rarely have internal backup capabilities, not to mention the proper archiving options necessary from a compliance standpoint.
Social media and IM platforms rarely have internal backup capabilities, not to mention the archiving options necessary from a compliance standpoint. Click To TweetMobile and Voicemail
Mobile has become a valuable business tool that we use to access work-related content, post business updates on social media or send a quick text to colleagues and business partners. New business trends like BYOD and CYOD have additionally complicated the mobile-for-business picture, but regulators don’t seem to care.
Regulations still mandate that organizations, especially those in regulated industries, retain and be able to produce business records exchanged via mobile. This sparked the need for technology that could allow companies to archive mobile content (mostly text and multimedia messages) in the same compliant way they already archive email.
Voicemail is far from new technology, but it’s becoming a new issue for regulatory compliance, as typical use of voicemail sometimes extends to important, business-critical information. This makes such messages business records and brings voicemail into the compliance arena. As business regulations expand and regulators become more comprehensive in their requests for documentation, voicemail and mobile are likely to become important aspects of compliance.
As regulations expand and become more comprehensive, voicemail and mobile are likely to become important aspects of regulatory compliance. Click To TweetOne Solution to Archive Everything
The updates in compliance regulations spelled trouble for businesses that already archived email, but were completely unequipped to archive new communication channels. Archiving companies had to get down to work and adapt to new circumstances as well. Some archiving services providers decided to opt for new solutions that had a separate system and a new dashboard. Others, like Jatheon, designed an integrated solution that could simply be added to the existing email archiving software and appear as extra functionality.
The benefits of the latter approach are manifold. Firstly, such solutions don’t require additional training and getting used to on the part of users and compliance officers. The new archiving options (social media, mobile and voicemail) can be bought as add-ons and integrated into the platform and dashboard that users already use and love. Secondly, this allows compliance officers to search through multiple formats from a single platform and saves time and trouble. Finally, this is a cost-effective solution that your company will be able to afford without breaking the budget.
Although email archiving solutions have been the cornerstone of regulatory compliance for most businesses in regulated industries, we have to acknowledge that email is now a part of a much broader picture. Only solutions that offer enhanced archiving capabilities will prove satisfactory in the long run. The corporate use of both social media and mobile has grown immensely, but both assets can easily turn into a huge liability and cost your company millions of dollars if they are not managed and archived properly.
To learn how Jatheon can help you ensure compliance by archiving email, social media and mobile using a single solution, contact us or schedule your personal demo.
