E-mail Retention Policy

E-mail Retention Policy

Authorized By: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Purpose/Overview

This policy establishes the requirements for the retention, archiving, and destruction of emails and electronic communications. It ensures that Safire retains necessary business records for legal, regulatory, and operational purposes while disposing of ephemeral data to reduce risk and storage costs.

Scope

This policy applies to all Safire email systems (e.g., Google Workspace, Outlook), Instant Messaging platforms (Slack, Teams), and all employees, contractors, and agents using Safire accounts.

Policy

Automated Retention Categories

Safire utilizes automated server-side retention policies to manage the lifecycle of electronic communications. Users are not required to manually archive emails unless specifically directed by Legal Counsel (e.g., Legal Hold).

General Business & Fiscal Correspondence (Default Retention)

• Definition: Routine business communications, customer interactions, revenue/expense discussions, and general operational emails.
• Retention Period: 4 Years.
• Mechanism: The email system shall automatically retain all emails for this period. Users may archive emails for organization, but the system will prevent permanent deletion until the retention period expires.

Administrative & HR Correspondence

• Definition: Policy clarifications, employment records, timecards, and intellectual property documentation.
• Retention Period: 7 Years (or as defined by local labor laws).
• Mechanism: Emails tagged as “HR” or “Legal” or stored in specific departmental mailboxes (e.g.,HR@Safire.com) will be subject to extended retention rules.

Cybersecurity & Audit Logs

• Definition: Automated alerts, audit logs, and tracking of actions taken on Safire’s network.
• Retention Period: 1 Year (Minimum CMMC Requirement).
• Mechanism: Logs are retained within the SIEM or Logging Server, separate from user mailboxes.

Ephemeral & Personal Correspondence

• Definition: Personal notes, lunch coordination, status updates with no long-term business value.
• Retention Period: No formal retention.
• Mechanism: Users should delete these emails once they are no longer needed. The system may automatically purge items in the “Trash” folder after 30 days.

Instant Messaging (IM) Retention

Safire uses approved platforms (Google Chat, Slack, JIRA, Confluence) for business communication.

• Retention Setting: Safire IT shall configure these platforms to retain message history for 1 Year to support internal investigations.
• Critical Info: Decisions having significant financial or legal impact should be memorialized in Email or formal documentation, not left solely in Instant Messaging.

Legal Hold

• In the event of litigation or government investigation, the Legal Department may issue a “Legal Hold.”
• Upon notification, automatic deletion policies are suspended for affected accounts.
• Users must not delete any data relevant to the hold.

Encryption and Data Protection

• Stored Email: Email servers must be configured to use encryption at rest.
• Transmission: Emails containing CUI or Restricted Data must be encrypted during transmission using FIPS-validated mechanisms, in accordance with the Data Classification Policy .

Backups and Disaster Recovery

• Cloud Architecture: As a cloud-native organization (e.g., Google Workspace/O365), Safire relies on the provider’s redundancy and an independent cloud-to-cloud backup solution (e.g., Backupify, Druva, or Google Vault) rather than physical tape rotation.
• Restoration: Backups are designed for disaster recovery and inadvertent deletion. Deleting an email from a user inbox does not immediately remove it from the backup/archiving system until the retention period expires.

General Standards

• Approved Platforms: Only IT-approved platforms (Google Workspace, Slack, etc.) may be used for business communication. Personal email (Gmail, Yahoo) is prohibited for business use.
• International Encryption: Follow corporate guidelines on export controls regarding cryptography when traveling internationally. Consult the Compliance Department for guidance.
• Individual Access: Access to email archives is restricted to the specific user and authorized Administrators (e.g., Legal/IT) for eDiscovery purposes only.

Compliance

Compliance Measurement

The policy owner will verify compliance through automated system configuration reports (e.g., Google Vault retention settings) and internal audits. Oversight is provided by CISO, IT, and Compliance functions. Enforcement of this policy is coordinated through Human Resources and Executive Management.

Exceptions

Any exceptions must be approved by the Policy Owner in advance.

Non-Compliance

An employee found to have violated this policy (e.g., intentionally circumventing retention rules) may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Related Standards, Policies, Plans, and Procedures

• Acceptable Encryption Policy
• Data Classification Policy

Referenced Terms

CUI

Information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls pursuant to and consistent with applicable law, regulations, and government-wide policies.

Revision History

2026-08-20 — Darren Rush

Merge pull request #2 from safire-dev/dev (16cb681)

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