Email Archiving Solutions for Microsoft 365 and Cloud Archive
January 12, 2026
Email archiving solutions are no longer optional—they’re essential for keeping your business compliant, secure, and efficient. Whether you're managing growing volumes of email data or preparing for legal audits, the right archiving solution helps you stay in control. In this blog, we’ll explain what email archiving is, why it matters, and how to choose the best system for your needs. We’ll also cover key features, common challenges, and best practices to help you protect your archive email and mailbox data while ensuring smooth backup and archive data management.
What to know about email archiving solutions
Email archiving solutions are systems that automatically store and manage your organization’s email data. These tools help you retain, search, and retrieve emails for legal, compliance, or business continuity purposes. Unlike traditional backups, archiving solutions keep emails in a searchable format, making it easier to find specific messages when needed.
For businesses using Microsoft 365, integrating an archiving solution ensures that your email data is preserved even if users delete messages from their inboxes. This is especially important for meeting regulatory requirements and protecting sensitive communications. Many solutions also support journaling, which captures all email traffic in real time.
Archiving solutions also reduce the load on your primary email server by moving older messages to a separate storage system. This improves performance and helps manage storage costs more effectively.
Common mistakes to avoid when choosing email archiving solutions
Choosing the wrong email archiving solution can lead to compliance issues, data loss, or unnecessary costs. Here are key mistakes to watch out for:
Mistake #1: Ignoring regulatory compliance
Failing to meet industry-specific rules can result in fines or legal trouble. Make sure your solution supports retention policies and audit trails that align with your compliance needs.
Mistake #2: Overlooking integration with Microsoft 365
If your business uses Microsoft 365, your archiving solution should integrate seamlessly. Without this, you risk missing important emails or duplicating work.
Mistake #3: Choosing the wrong storage type
Some businesses choose on-premises storage when cloud-based email archiving would be more scalable and cost-effective. Understand your long-term needs before deciding.
Mistake #4: Not considering user access
Employees may need to retrieve archived emails. Choose a solution with user-friendly search tools so staff can access what they need without IT help.
Mistake #5: Skipping e-discovery features
If you ever face a legal request, you’ll need to produce emails quickly. A solution without e-discovery tools can slow you down and increase risk.
Mistake #6: Underestimating data growth
Email volumes grow fast. Pick a solution that can scale with your business without performance issues.
Mistake #7: Forgetting about deletion policies
Some solutions don’t manage deletion well, which can lead to accidental or malicious loss of data. Make sure your system includes secure deletion controls.
Key benefits of using email archiving solutions
Here’s what you gain by implementing a reliable email archiving system:
- Ensures compliance with legal and industry regulations
- Reduces storage costs by offloading old emails from primary servers
- Speeds up e-discovery and legal response times
- Protects against accidental and malicious email deletion
- Improves Microsoft 365 performance by managing mailbox size
- Simplifies backup and disaster recovery processes
Why cloud-based email archiving is gaining traction
Cloud-based email archiving offers flexibility, scalability, and lower upfront costs. Unlike on-premises systems, cloud archives don’t require physical infrastructure or ongoing hardware maintenance. This makes them ideal for small to mid-sized businesses.
Another benefit is accessibility. With cloud archiving, your team can search and retrieve archived emails from anywhere. This supports remote work and improves productivity. Cloud systems also offer built-in redundancy, meaning your data is stored in multiple secure locations to prevent loss.
Security is another major advantage. Cloud providers invest heavily in protecting data centers and ensuring compliance with global standards. This level of protection is often more advanced than what small businesses can maintain on their own.
Features to look for in email archiving software
When evaluating email archiving software, consider these essential features:
Feature #1: Support for Microsoft 365 email archiving
Make sure the software integrates directly with Microsoft 365. This ensures smooth journaling, retention, and search capabilities.
Feature #2: Advanced search and filtering
Look for tools that let users and admins quickly find specific emails using keywords, dates, or sender information.
Feature #3: Legal hold and e-discovery tools
These features are critical for responding to legal requests. They allow you to preserve and export emails without altering them.
Feature #4: Role-based access controls
Not everyone should have access to all archived emails. Choose a system that lets you assign permissions based on roles.
Feature #5: Integration with legacy systems
If you’re migrating from older platforms, your archiving software should support importing archive data from legacy systems.
Feature #6: Audit trails and reporting
These help you track who accessed what data and when—important for both security and compliance.
How to implement an email archiving solution successfully
Rolling out an email archiving solution takes planning. Start by identifying your business goals—whether it's compliance, storage management, or legal readiness. Then, evaluate your current infrastructure and email usage patterns.
Next, choose a solution that aligns with those needs. Consider factors like cloud vs. on-premises, integration with Microsoft 365, and user access requirements. Work with your IT team or a trusted provider to set up the system, migrate existing data, and train users.
Ongoing monitoring is also important. Regularly review retention policies, access logs, and storage usage to ensure the system continues to meet your needs.
Best practices for managing email archiving solutions
Follow these best practices to get the most from your archiving solution:
- Define clear retention policies that meet legal and business needs
- Train employees on how to access and use archived emails
- Regularly audit access logs and system activity
- Schedule periodic reviews of storage usage and performance
- Keep your software updated to avoid security risks
- Work with a provider that understands your industry’s compliance requirements
Following these steps helps keep your email data secure, searchable, and compliant.
How Sterling can help with email archiving solutions
Are you a business with 20 to 80 employees looking for a better way to manage your email data? As your company grows, so does the complexity of staying compliant and protecting sensitive information. That’s where we come in.
At Sterling, we help businesses implement reliable email archiving solutions that fit their size and goals. Whether you need to meet regulatory standards, reduce storage costs, or improve legal readiness, our team can guide you through every step. Contact us today to get started.
Frequently asked questions
What is e-mail archiving, and why does it matter for small businesses?
E-mail archiving is the process of storing and managing email data in a secure, searchable format. For small businesses, it ensures that important communications are preserved even if users delete them from their mailboxes.
It also helps with compliance and legal readiness. By keeping a complete archive of email data, businesses can quickly respond to audits or legal requests. This is especially useful if you need to back up or recover specific messages.
How does an archive differ from a regular email backup?
An archive stores emails in a way that allows for fast search and retrieval, while a backup simply saves a copy of your mailbox at a point in time. Archives are better for long-term storage and compliance.
Backups are useful for disaster recovery, but they don’t offer the same level of access or control. If you need to find a specific email from years ago, an archive is a better tool.
What should I look for in an archiving solution for Microsoft 365?
Look for a solution that integrates directly with Microsoft 365 and supports journaling, retention policies, and user access controls. This ensures that all email data is captured and stored properly.
Also, make sure the system can archive email from shared mailboxes and supports secure deletion. These features help you stay compliant and protect sensitive information.
Why is email archiving software important for regulatory compliance?
Email archiving software helps you meet legal and industry requirements by preserving messages in a tamper-proof format. It also provides audit trails and access logs.
This is especially important in industries like finance or healthcare, where regulations require you to retain and protect communication records. Without proper archiving, you risk fines or legal issues.
Can cloud-based email archiving protect against accidental and malicious deletion?
Yes. Cloud-based email archiving stores messages in secure, off-site data centers. Even if someone deletes an email from their inbox, it remains in the archive.
This protects your business from both accidental loss and intentional tampering. It also ensures that your archive data is safe and accessible when needed.
How does MailStore help with legacy systems and cloud data?
MailStore is a popular archiving solution that supports both on-premises and cloud environments. It can import archive data from legacy systems, making it easier to transition to modern platforms.
It also supports cloud data storage, which reduces the need for local infrastructure. This makes it a flexible option for businesses upgrading their IT systems.
