Configuring retention policies

Through retention policies, you can control for how long you want to keep certain types of emails in the archive stores. For example, you can configure a retention policy that deletes emails with specific keywords or phrases in the body or subject, sent or received from particular email addresses or domains, after 90 days.

Retention policies are useful if you want to control the archive store size by deleting emails that are no longer required and to satisfy legal requirements, for example.

How are retention policies applied to emails?

GFI MailArchiver will check the content of an email against any retention policies configured at the time of archiving.

NOTE: Retention policies created or modified after GFI MailArchiver has already stored an email in an archive store will not affect that email. This is because GFI MailArchiver checks emails against retention policies only at the time of archiving.

GFI MailArchiver will first check the email against the highest priority retention policy. If the email fits the conditions specified in the retention policy, the retention policy is associated with the email. If the email does not fit the highest priority retention policy, GFI MailArchiver will check against the next retention policy configured, if any, according to priority.

GFI MailArchiver repeats this process until the email either matches a configured retention policy or else there are no more retention policies, in which case GFI MailArchiver will forever store the email in the archive store since no retention policies are associated with it.

NOTE: An email can match only one retention policy. Thus, the priorities you assign to the retention policies are very important.

If an email matches a retention policy and the action specified in the retention policy is delete email immediately, GFI MailArchiver will discard the email immediately without it ever being stored in an archive store. If the action specified in the retention policy is set to delete after a number of days, then GFI MailArchiver will store the email in an archive store and associate the matching retention policy to it, so that when the time comes, GFI MailArchiver will purge the email from the archive store.

Creating a retention policy

To create a retention policy, follow these steps:

1. Load the GFI MailArchiver configuration as shown in the `Introduction to the Configuration' section earlier in this chapter.

2. Click on the GFI MailArchiver } Configuration } Retention Policies node, in the left navigation pane.

3. Click Add Retention Policy to display the Retention Policy Wizard.

4. On the first page, type a descriptive name for the retention policy in the Retention Policy Name box. The Retention policy in effect check box should be selected if you want GFI MailArchiver to check emails against this retention policy. Click Next to continue.

Screenshot 84 - Retention Policy Wizard

5. In the Subject Keywords page, you can specify a list of keywords. If the email subject contains any of the keywords specified and the email satisfied the other conditions configured in the wizard, the retention policy would apply to that email. To add a keyword or phrase, type it in the box to the left of the Add button, and then click Add.

Screenshot 85 - Subject keywords

6. Repeat step 5 to add more keywords. The wizard displays the conditions that must be satisfied by the email in order for the retention policy to apply in the Apply retention policy if box.

7. If you want to match whole words only, select the Match whole words check box. Click Next to continue.

8. In the Body Keywords page, you can specify a list of keywords. If the email body contains any of the keywords specified and the email satisfied the other conditions configured in the wizard, the retention policy would apply to that email. To add a keyword or phrase, type it in the box to the left of the Add button, and then click Add.

Screenshot 86 - Body keywords

9. Repeat step 8 to add more keywords. The wizard displays the conditions that must be satisfied by the email in order for the retention policy to apply in the Apply retention policy if box.

10. If you want to match whole words only, select the Match whole words check box. Click Next to continue.

11. In the Email Sender page, you can specify a list of Active Directory (AD) users and email addresses. If the email sender matches any of the AD users / email addresses specified and the email satisfied the other conditions configured in the wizard, the retention policy would apply to that email. To add a specific email address, select Email from the list that is inline with the Add button.

12. In the box next to the list, type the email address. The wildcard characters `?' and `*' can be used to match more than one email address. Note that the `@' sign must always be present in the email address specified. You can use question marks to match any letter. For example, ???n@?aster-domain.com will match both john@master-domain.com and joan@faster-domain.com. To match a whole domain, use the asterisk wildcard instead of the account name, for example *@master-domain.com. Click Add.

NOTE: You can specify both local email addresses as well as external email addresses.

Screenshot 87 - Email Sender

13. To add more email addresses, repeat step 12.

14. To add an AD user, select User from the list that is inline with the Add button.

15. The list next to the Add button, lists all email enabled AD users. Select the one you want to add and click Add.

16. To add more AD users, repeat step 15.

17. Click Next to continue.

18. In the Email Recipient page, you can specify a list of Active Directory (AD) users and email addresses. If one or more of the email recipients match any of the AD users / email addresses specified and the email satisfied the other conditions configured in the wizard, the retention policy would apply to that email. To add a specific email address, select Email from the list that is inline with the Add button.

19. In the box next to the list, type the email address. The wildcard characters `?' and `*' can be used to match more than one email address. Note that the `@' sign must always be present in the email address specified. You can use question marks to match any letter. For example, ???n@?aster-domain.com will match both john@master-domain.com and joan@faster-domain.com. To match a whole domain, use the asterisk wildcard instead of the account name, for example *@master-domain.com. Click Add.

NOTE: You can specify both local email addresses as well as external email addresses.

20. To add more email addresses, repeat step 19.

21. To add an AD user, select User from the list that is inline with the Add button.

22. The list next to the Add button, lists all email enabled AD users. Select the one you want to add and click Add.

23. To add more AD users, repeat step 22.

Screenshot 88 - Email recipient

24. Click Next to continue.

Screenshot 89 - Retention policy action

25. In this page, you must specify the action you want GFI MailArchiver to take on emails that match this retention policy. You can either delete the emails immediately by clicking Deleted immediately under Retention Policy Action, or else delete the emails after a certain amount of days by clicking Deleted from the archive store after option and typing the number of days in the box below. Click Next to continue.

Screenshot 90 - Retention policy settings summary

26. On the last page of the wizard, you can review the settings and conditions configured in the previous pages. To finish and close the wizard, click Finish.

Screenshot 91 - Saved retention policy

27. GFI MailArchiver will list the new retention policy in the table. If you have more than one retention policy configured, follow the steps in the `Modifying the priority of retention policies' section further down in this chapter. Click Save Settings.

Re-configuring a retention policy

NOTE: If you re-configure the conditions of a retention policy, emails present in an archive store are not affected. On the other hand, if you change the action from for example, delete in 60 days to delete in 90 days, the emails in the archive store that have that retention policy applied to them, will be deleted after being stored for 90 days in the archive store, instead of 60 days.

If you want to modify a retention policy, follow these steps:

1. Load the GFI MailArchiver configuration as shown in the `Introduction to the Configuration' section earlier in this chapter.

2. Click on the GFI MailArchiver } Configuration } Retention Policies node, in the left navigation pane.

3. From the table, click the button to the right of the retention policy you want to modify, to display the Retention Policy Wizard. Use the wizard as outlined in the `Creating a retention policy' section earlier in this chapter.

NOTE: To remove keywords, AD users or email addresses from any of the lists in the Retention Policy Wizard, click the button to the right of the corresponding entry you want to remove.

4. When you finish and close the wizard, click Save Settings.

Removing a retention policy

NOTE: If you remove a retention policy, GFI MailArchiver will never delete the emails stored in the archive stores that had that retention policy applied to them. This occurs, since GFI MailArchiver checks that the retention policy associated with an email still exists before it deletes the email from the archive store.

If you want to remove a retention policy, follow these steps:

1. Load the GFI MailArchiver configuration as shown in the `Introduction to the Configuration' section earlier in this chapter.

2. Click on the GFI MailArchiver } Configuration } Retention Policies node, in the left navigation pane.

3. Click the button to the right of the retention policy you want to remove.

4. Click Save Settings.

Modifying the priority of retention policies

NOTE: An email can match only one retention policy. Thus, the priorities you assign to the retention policies are very important.

If you configured multiple retention policies, you can modify their priority as outlined below:

1. Load the GFI MailArchiver configuration as shown in the `Introduction to the Configuration' section earlier in this chapter.

2. Click on the GFI MailArchiver } Configuration } Retention Policies node, in the left navigation pane.

3. Click the button or button to the left of the retention policy to raise or lower the retention policy priority respectively.

4. Repeat step 3 until all the retention policies are in the priority you want.

5. Click Save Settings.

Creating a retention policy to match all emails

NOTE: Use the information outlined in this section with great care. If you configure a match all emails retention policy and assign it the wrong priority, you could end up with GFI MailArchiver deleting all emails from the archive stores configured.

A retention policy that matches all emails comes in handy in the following scenario. For example, you want to keep all financial emails for 5 years, all administrative emails for 2 years, and all sales emails for 1 year, but you want to delete all other emails to keep the archive store size under control.

To do this you would do the following:

1. Load the GFI MailArchiver configuration as shown in the `Introduction to the Configuration' section earlier in this chapter.

2. Click on the GFI MailArchiver } Configuration } Retention Policies node, in the left navigation pane.

3. Create retention policies for Financial Emails, Administrative Emails and Sales Emails with the action set to delete after 5, 2 and 1 year respectively. Refer to the `Creating a retention policy' section.

4. Create a retention policy that matches all emails by specifying * in the subject or body list, or *@* in the sender or recipient list. The wizard will display a warning in red on the last page as shown in the screenshot below.

Screenshot 92 - Match all emails warning

5. Arrange the priorities of the retention policies as required, but always give the match all emails retention policy the lowest priority. Refer to the `Modifying the priority of retention policies' section.

Screenshot 93 - Match all emails retention policy scenario

6. Click Save Settings.

Enable / disable a retention policy

If you want to enable / disable a retention policy, follow these steps:

1. Load the GFI MailArchiver configuration as shown in the `Introduction to the Configuration' section earlier in this chapter.

2. Click on the GFI MailArchiver } Configuration } Retention Policies node, in the left navigation pane.

3. From the table, click the button to the right of the retention policy you want to modify, to display the Retention Policy Wizard.

4. On the first page of the wizard select or clear the Retention policy in effect check box, to enable / disable the retention policy respectively.

5. Click Finish to close the wizard.

6. Click Save Settings.