Email archiving is about securely storing copies of your business emails so you can access them later if needed. For a Canadian small or mid-sized business using Microsoft 365, choosing the right email archiving solution means balancing ease of access, security, compliance, and cost. The goal is to protect your company's communication history without disrupting daily operations.
Why Email Archiving Matters for Canadian SMBs
Emails often contain sensitive information, contracts, customer details, and records of business decisions. Losing access to these emails due to accidental deletion, cyberattacks, or system failures can cause operational downtime, damage customer trust, and even lead to regulatory penalties—especially with privacy laws like PIPEDA. Proper archiving also supports quicker recovery from ransomware attacks and simplifies responding to compliance audits or legal requests.
A Typical Scenario
Imagine a 50-person Canadian consulting firm using Microsoft 365 for email. One day, an employee accidentally deletes an important client contract email, and the company's default retention policy only keeps deleted emails for 30 days. Without a proper archive, the email is lost, causing delays and frustration. A managed IT provider had previously set up an email archiving solution that captures and stores all emails separately from Microsoft 365, allowing the firm to quickly retrieve the contract and avoid business disruption.
Key Considerations When Choosing Email Archiving
- Retention period: How long will emails be stored? Ensure it meets your industry's compliance requirements and your internal policies.
- Search and retrieval: Can you quickly find specific emails by keyword, date, sender, or attachment? Efficient search saves time during audits or disputes.
- Security: Is the archive encrypted and protected against unauthorized access? This reduces the risk of data breaches.
- Integration with Microsoft 365: Does the archive work seamlessly with your existing email system? Avoid solutions that complicate workflows or require manual exports.
- Backup and redundancy: Are archived emails stored in multiple locations to prevent data loss?
- Compliance support: Does the solution help with Canadian privacy laws and industry-specific regulations?
- Cost structure: Understand licensing, storage fees, and any additional charges for retrieval or support.
Practical Steps to Take Now
- Ask your current IT provider if your Microsoft 365 plan includes native archiving and what retention policies are configured.
- Request a demonstration of how email search and recovery works in your existing setup.
- Check if your archived data is encrypted both at rest and in transit.
- Review your business's compliance requirements around email retention and ensure your archiving meets or exceeds them.
- Compare proposals from IT providers based on ease of use, security features, and support responsiveness.
- Perform a simple test by attempting to recover a deleted email from your archive to verify accessibility.
Choosing the right email archiving approach is a critical part of managing your business's digital communication safely and efficiently. Discuss your specific needs with a trusted managed IT provider who understands Canadian SMBs and Microsoft 365 environments. They can help tailor a solution that protects your data, supports compliance, and fits your budget without adding complexity.