What is email archiving and why is it essential
E-mail archiving means that relevant e-mails are automatically captured, retained and eventually deleted according to established rules. The goal is not to keep everything, but to manage information in a controlled and provable way.
For Dutch organizations, this is essential for several reasons. Laws and regulations require organizations to keep information available. At the same time, the AVG sets requirements for data minimization and retention periods. Without a central archiving policy, it is impossible to meet these consistently.
E-mail archiving ensures overview, continuity and legal security. Information remains available even when employees leave service or mailboxes are cleaned out.
Risks without a good email archiving policy
Organizations without structural e-mail archiving face concrete risks.
With WOO requests, files often turn out to be incomplete. Emails are scattered across mailboxes or cannot be retrieved. This is time-consuming and can lead to complaints or penalties.
During audits or legal proceedings, important correspondence is missing. This weakens the organization’s position and increases the risk of liability.
After employees leave, knowledge is lost. Mailboxes are closed or partially deleted while the contents are still relevant to ongoing files.
In addition, retention periods are not consistently applied. Some emails are kept too long, others too short. Both situations can lead to violations of the AVG.
Email archiving in Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 includes standard functionality for e-mail archiving and information management. Think retention policies, retention labels and eDiscovery.
With proper setup, emails are automatically archived based on predetermined rules. This can be by role, department or type of information. Retention policies determine how long emails are kept and when they are deleted.
Even after an employee leaves, relevant e-mail remains available to the organization. This prevents knowledge loss and ensures continuity.
Importantly, email archiving is not separate from other Microsoft 365 components. Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive are all part of the information landscape together. Archiving needs to align with this.
Complying with AVG, BIO and WOO
For Dutch organizations, compliance is a core part of information management. Email archiving in Microsoft 365 helps with demonstrable compliance with laws and regulations.
The AVG requires control over personal data and retention periods. The BIO sets requirements for availability, integrity and confidentiality of information. The WOO requires organizations to make information actively available in a timely manner.
Central archiving policies can show what information is kept, for how long and why. This simplifies audits and reduces the risk of errors.
From technology to workable policy
E-mail archiving is not a purely technical configuration. It requires clear choices and agreements. Which e-mails are archive-worthy. What retention periods apply. Who is responsible for management and supervision.
Without policies, Microsoft 365 remains a collection of loose features. With policy, it becomes a reliable information platform that fits Dutch practices.
How ALTA-ICT supports
ALTA-ICT helps organizations to set up e-mail archiving in Microsoft 365 according to Dutch laws and regulations. We combine technical setup with practical information management.
Our approach starts with understanding the current situation. Then we set up retention, archiving and management in such a way that it is understandable for employees and verifiable for auditors. Always attuned to AVG, BIO and WOO.
Want to know if your email archiving in Microsoft 365 is in order? Schedule a no-obligation consultation with ALTA-ICT. Then we will identify risks and show you how to get a structural grip on email and information management.
