All your files must comply with federal guidelines
Companies have a lot of different kinds of documents they need to monitor, protect and curate. No matter what capacity a file exists in, there is no excuse for failing to meet federal compliance guidelines for the management of that record. Even digital documents require long term storage and management, since these files could become essential to eDiscovery or audit cases in the future.
That means your emails as well.
All your file systems
Considering the sheer volume of emails generated, shared and deleted on a daily basis, companies need to be careful to employ the right kinds of file tracking software, hard disk backup management and disaster recovery solutions to handle these cumbersome amounts of information. Big data is making this an increasingly difficult feat to pull off, since IBM said the majority of documents currently in existence have only been around for the last two years or less.
Apart from facilitating ongoing compliance, businesses interested in creating analytics and intelligence reports rely on these kinds of documents for helping to create metrics for future strategies. Looking at the variety of topics personnel discuss, determining peak email hours and focusing on the best points during the week for backup maintenance are all ways that companies can shrink their backup windows and promote more thorough records management. Apart from promoting more eDiscovery compliance, this also helps boost workflow performance.
Take out every potential compliance zig
One of the most pressing reasons for hanging on to all these files though was recently touched on by InformationWeek. When eDiscovery inquiries come calling, federal and state agencies get a chance to see how well private entities and public agencies are complying with document management and storage guidelines. Those who fail to properly catalog and track emails for the prescribed amount of time or sort them in a way that allows for timely, accurate retrieval could face hefty fines.
The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel pointed out that lawsuits are becoming increasingly common in terms of the kinds of resources these inquiries can subpoena. The integration of cloud and mobile resources means that email, social media and mobile communications now fall under eDiscovery guidelines, so if businesses fail to keep track of these overwhelming data resources, they could be looking at compounded compliance fines. Improving file tracking and automated backup tape management could help alleviate these concerns, so long as organizations are careful to enact them before moving into more big data spheres.