Sometimes e-mail is a many-headed monster. The sheer volume of e-mail messages can bog down systems. Retrieval can be tricky. How can one organize e-mail files so that users can find what they need quickly and painlessly? Plus, there's the risk. There are security issues to contend with, and there are always concerns surrounding old e-mail messages being called into question in court. How long should e-mail remain under a firm's data umbrella? Until the matter is closed? Years? Decades? For eternity?

Each firm must take on these issues in its own way. The authors of this white paper offer several solutions on how best to store e-mail, as well as how long it should be kept.

Ultimately, it's a question of how vigilant a manager can be, and what tools he can use to make the process of managing e-mail smooth and safe.

Many thanks go out to Pat Morris of Torys, Vice President of the Autonomy iManage Peer Group; Rhonda Lewis of Balch & Bingham LLP, Vice President of the Open Text Peer Group; and Charlene Wacenske of Morrison & Foerster LLP, Vice President of the Records Management Peer Group for their advice, guidance and support in organizing this white paper.