Across the globe, hundreds of billions of emails are sent and received every day. The importance of an efficient and robust email archiving solution cannot be overstated. Companies must ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, maintain data integrity, and support efficient eDiscovery processes.
Microsoft 365 offers native archiving capabilities, but relying solely on its features exposes organizations to significant limitations and risks. Leveraging a third-party archive alongside Microsoft 365 provides an essential layer of functionality, security, and flexibility. Arctera™ (formerly Veritas), Mimecast™, and ProofPoint™ are some of the leading archive solutions available to enhance Microsoft 365’s functionality and security.
| Microsoft 365 Archive | Third-Party Archives | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum storage capacity: 1.5TB |  | Easily scalable storage + practically unlimited capacity |
| E5 license = $54 per user per month |  | Volume-based pricing + no need for advanced licensing for premium features |
| Focus on Microsoft file types, less than 65 total supported file types |  | 100’s of file types + Cloudlocker supports 500+ file types |
| Limited indexing + classification = slow search response times |  | SLAs guarantee rapid search response time |
Relies on retention policies and in-place holds |  | Immutable email journal with tamper-proof copies |
Limitations in Archiving
Microsoft 365 lacks a dedicated solution for legacy archive data. Migrating legacy email archives into a Microsoft environment generally requires time-consuming manual intervention or third-party tools. M365 cannot seamlessly accommodate the specialized formats and systems of historical emails. Without a dedicated repository, organizations risk losing valuable context and continuity in their archived data.
Email Journaling
Microsoft 365 lacks a true immutable email journal. Instead, the platform relies on retention policies and in-place holds to preserve data. These mechanisms can prevent user modification of data. However, they lack the rigor of traditional journaling systems, which create tamper-proof copies of emails for compliance purposes. This gap in functionality leaves organizations to face challenges in proving the integrity of their archived communications.
Retention and Deletion
Microsoft’s lack of differentiation between expired and deleted items under retention complicates the eDiscovery process. When an item under hold or retention is deleted, it’s placed in the same storage location as items expired by a retention policy. Determining if an item was deliberately deleted by a user or expired based on policy becomes a challenge.
Storage Quotas and Scalability Challenges
Storage capacity and scalability are key aspects of any archiving system. Microsoft 365’s archive feature expands with usage and has a maximum capacity of 1.5TB of storage per user. Expanding the storage capacity incrementally adds unnecessary administrative work. If more storage is needed, admins need to create a new archive mailbox which requires an additional license. The overall fragmented approach to storage increases costs and complicates data management.
Enhanced File Type Support and Classification
Microsoft’s archiving primarily focuses on email and Microsoft’s own file types. Third-party solutions, including Arctera™, Mimecast™, and ProofPoint™, are compatible with a comprehensive range of file types and formats. For example, Cloudlocker™ supports over 500 different file types for your static legacy email, over 230 MIME Types, and 176 extensions. Meanwhile, we see M365 is compatible with less than 65 different file types.
Third-party archives ingest, store, and index files from diverse platforms, including social media, instant messaging, and collaboration tools. This expanded scope ensures a more holistic approach to data retention and compliance.
Third-party archives also feature more advanced classification engines that surpass M365’s capabilities. These engines use sophisticated algorithms to tag data based on content, context, and metadata, enabling precise retention policies and eDiscovery searches. This advanced classification is invaluable to organizations in heavily regulated industries with strict compliance demands such as healthcare, finance, and government.
Cost-Effectiveness for eDiscovery
Archiving and eDiscovery go hand in hand. Organizations look for eDiscovery systems with features including advanced indexing, compatibility with a range of file types, and case management. Premium eDiscovery features with Microsoft require an E5 license, which is prohibitively expensive for many organizations. Faster search speeds and more efficient eDiscovery means organizations save time and money.
Comparatively, many third-party archives provide cost-effective advanced eDiscovery tools without upgrading all users to premium plans. This approach allows organizations to balance functionality and affordability without sacrificing compliance.
Continuity and Performance Benefits
Third-party archives excel with business continuity. During a Microsoft outage, solutions like Mimecast™ and ProofPoint™ provide continuity features that enable users to send and receive emails seamlessly. This capability ensures uninterrupted communication, safeguarding productivity and customer relationships.
Third-party archives also outperform Microsoft 365 in terms of search and export performance. Solutions such as Arctera™ Insight (formerly Veritas Enterprise Vault Cloud) and Mimecast™ offer service-level agreements (SLAs) guaranteeing rapid search response times. These tools are designed to handle large datasets efficiently, making them indispensable for organizations with significant archiving needs.
Metadata and Export Advantages
Third-party archiving solutions provide richer metadata than Microsoft 365. This additional information simplifies processing exported data for compliance reviews, audits, and litigation support. Detailed metadata allows third-party archives to streamline workflows and reduce the time required for legal and regulatory reviews.
On-Premises Options for Enhanced Security
While cloud-based solutions dominate the archiving landscape, some organizations have security or privacy concerns that necessitate on-premises archiving. Arctera™ offers robust on-premises products tailored to meet these needs. This flexibility allows organizations to maintain control over their data while still benefiting from the advanced features of a third-party archive.
Secure Your Data With Bluesource
Relying solely on M365 for email archiving leaves organizations vulnerable to a host of challenges, from limited functionality to increased costs and compliance risks. Third-party archives like Arctera™, ProofPoint™, and Mimecast™ offer unparalleled advantages, including broader file type support, advanced classification, cost-effective eDiscovery, and superior search performance. By integrating these solutions with Microsoft 365, companies can ensure a comprehensive, compliant, and efficient archiving strategy.
Bluesource™ stands ready to assist with your digital compliance and archiving needs. Our world-class data migrations team can take your data from anywhere to anywhere. Explore how we can help secure the future of your organization’s data.