Email, once considered a convenience to augment other forms of communication, is now clearly a mission-critical application in most companies. As such, it requires the special handling and attention -- especially for regulatory compliance and legal preparedness -- that email archiving provides. In this month's survey, 53% of respondents said they use email archiving, up from 45% last year. Just getting a handle on burgeoning email stores contributed to that swing into the archiving camp, with 30% citing better email management as their primary reason for archiving. In addition, legal readiness (28%) and compliance (26%) loomed large. Nearly half (47%) of those surveyed have opted for third-party archiving apps, but 37% still rely on the email system's capabilities. Outside services are increasingly being considered, with 8% preferring that archiving route, which is twice as many as last year. Of those who have yet to take the email archiving plunge, 52% said it's on their to-do list. With allowable mailbox limits growing -- 65% allow mailboxes of 500 MB or greater vs. 49% last year -- it might be a good idea to move email archiving to the top of your priority list.

"Lots of hidden costs to doing it properly; difficult to explain or justify to a non-IT person." -- Survey respondent

BIO: Rich Castagna (rcastagna@storagemagazine.com) is editorial director of the Storage Media Group.