Archiving of E-Mails processed through Attachmenet management system

In an environment where email is being archived, the main concern with replacing attachments is whether or not the actual attachment will end up in the archive. Generally, this is predicated on where in the message flow the replacement happens. There is generally very little that can be done for inbound messages that are altered in this fashion, but what are your options for messages originating in your organization?

The answer, of course, depends. Modifying messages and attachments at different points in the message flow (e.g. client, mail server or gateway) brings different pitfalls and rewards. For example:

• Modifying the message at the client level is very bad because the data is completely missing at the point the archive ingests it.
• Modifying the message at the Exchange/Notes/MDA* level is potentially bad depending on where the modification occurs in the archival process.
• Modifying the message at the gateway is the best route because the message will have been archived before the modification is made.

Please note that these rules apply any time a message is modified, including encryption (i.e. desktop encryption is a bad idea with regards to archiving, gateway is better).

* MDA: Mail Delivery Agent as opposed to the MTA (Mail Transfer Agent). This is the “end point” for mail storage before going to the MUA (Mail User Agent, or email client).

Hope this helps.

Bradley Young
Vice President of Services at MessageGate
http://randomdesiderata.blogspot.com/