An important driver for archiving email is regulatory compliance. All industries face some level of regulatory requirements which demand retention and production of business records. Some industries, such as the financial industry, healthcare, education and energy, face strict and sometimes onerous regulations.

Electronically Stored Information (ESI) communications within the financial securities industry must comply with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) requirements. The regulations include retention of emails, instant messages and social media posts.

The healthcare industry is heavily regulated and organizations must comply with various US government rules focused on retaining patient records. Public education faces many State and local regulations regarding email communications and retention policies.  Energy companies must comply with retention obligations imposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Even “non-regulated” industries, such as retail, transportation and manufacturing, also face some level of regulatory obligation to protect business records. Consequently, decision makers in all industries must consider regulatory compliance as a reason to implement a solid archiving solution.

Legal requirements vary by industry, with state and federal regulations mandating different levels of compliance for different types of organizations.  Legal requirements change often and can vary from one region to the other. While you should always confirm with your legal counsel before making any major decisions, there are some broad industry-specific rules and regulatory compliance statutes that should go into your planning.  Some of these rules are outlined below.