On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 2:20 PM, Souza, Thom <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I'm evaluating aggressive email retention for large companies
> comparable to NIKE.
>
> I've seen everything from 30 days to 90 days.  I'd like to get some
> benchmarking around aggressive email retention,  it's operational
> concerns, and the litigation risk.
>
> Here are some examples:
>
> Capitol One = 90 days
> Blockbuster (RIP) = 45 days
> Rockwell Collins = 30 days
>
> If anyone would like to speak to me about their own agressive email
> retention, I'd love to schedule some time.
>

Aggressive might be one term for it, I'd prefer another one that also
begins with "a" and ends with "e" and has fewer letters.

Let's think about  this... an organization develops a records retention
schedule, based on statutory, regulatory or legal requirements for
retaining records generated or received in the course of business.  They
set minimum retention periods based on the requirements, then consider
business needs that may exceed those, and after evaluating any potential
risks, may extend... or in rare cases, shorten retention periods.

Items that meet an organization's definition of a record are sorted into
logical categories (series), by the functions or parts of an organization
they serve, and once they've met their assigned retention, they're
typically disposed.

"E-mail" is not a category, in and of itself, and it doesn't support any
single function. Many messages may not rise to the definition of a record,
but each message that IS, has an individual "value".  And each one is
identified as part of a series, supporting a function.

For that reason, each e-mail has to be evaluated to determine its required
retention... they can't all be painted with a broad brush and assigned ONE
retention period, unless that period is the longest possible retention
period any of them could be mapped to.

No problem setting a short, common, retention period for non-record
e-mails, in fact the shorter the better (the Feds refer to these as
transitory and set retention at 180 days) but because they aren't records,
there is no requirement or business need to retain them at all.

But e-mails that are records?? BIG DIFFERENCE...  if they are discarded in
a manner inconsistent with the organization's retention schedule for other
records, which is based on requirements and business needs, you're asking
for trouble.

E-mail is a method of conveyance, just like postal mail. Records are
retained based on their content and value, NOT on how they were received or
sent.

Larry
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-- 


*Lawrence J. MedinaDanville, CA RIM Professional since 1972*

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