Email Discovery for the Cloud
September 27, 2012
Contributed Article. Author: Keri Farrell, Quest Software
Email Discovery for the Cloud
Have you ever wondered where email really goes when it is stored in the “cloud,” or, better yet, how you would retrieve specific messages or mailboxes if needed for email discovery purposes? Do you know if your company still technically owns the emails stored in the cloud, and, in either case, do you still have the same ability to access the data you need, if there is a mandate? If so, does it cost extra? If the cloud provider offers these services, how does the process work, and how do you know it is accurate? What search and export tools do they use to get you the information you are requesting? Are you able to search and export the data yourself, or do you need to just “trust” that you will get all the email requested?
I’m sure if your company is researching moving email to the cloud, or already has pulled the trigger on moving it, these questions have all been answered to your satisfaction and have been added into the contract with the cloud vendor. If they haven’t, then they should. If you are in the process of moving email data to the cloud, these questions should be top of mind, regardless of your company type. No company is exempt from litigation.
Based on an article from the Information Law Group, titled, “Legal Implications of Cloud Computing ,” it is important that your company understands whether it has the practical ability, contractual or other legal right to obtain the information stored in the cloud. Just because the data stored in the cloud is not in your physical possession, or in the United States, does not generally limit your duty to produce the information. For example: IN RE NTL, INC. SECURITIES LITIGATION
There are solutions on the market that can assist with discovery of email, allowing you to control your search criteria, format and timeframe to deliver messages. Quest Recovery Manager for Exchange makes discovering and exporting business-critical email data fast and easy – with no need for a dedicated recovery server. From a single console, you can find and retrieve message-level data in minutes from multiple sources, including the cloud. You can use intelligent search based on sender, recipient, date, attachment type, subject, message keyword, or attachment keyword, and compare the contents of an online mailbox with a backup mailbox to identify any differences. After the search, Recovery Manager can export the results in a variety of formats to facilitate email discovery requests.
For more information, go to: http://www.quest.com/recovery-manager-for-exchange/
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About the Author
Keri Farrell is a product manager at Quest Software, and has worked in the IT industry for 16 years. She specializes in Disaster Recovery for both Active Directory and Exchange, which began when she worked for Microsoft Support in 1996. Keri has co-authored numerous technical documents, including white papers on eDiscovery, Data Protection and Disaster Recovery Scenarios. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Computer Information Systems, from Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.