CIPAFilter’s e-mail archiving is designed to keep a copy of all inbound, outbound, and
even internal e-mail (with most e-mail servers), including all attachments. The system
will allow an administrator to search for content in e-mails, forward e-mails, and
archive this data for many years, while keeping the costs low.
Inbound e-mailsare archived using the SMTP relay function, which is already in place if the CIPAFilter is used for Anti-Spam. Otherwise, all e-mail needs to be directed to the CIPAFilter prior to being delivered to the mail server.
To archive outbound mail
the mail server needs to use the CIPAFilter as an outgoing SMTP server (“smart host” for Exchange), or all clients need to use the CIPAFilter as an outgoing mail server. This is quick and simple to configure.
Internal mail
sent only between users on the local mail server is archived using “journaling”, which is a function of the mail server itself. E-mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange among many others, support this. Journaling sends a copy of e-mails to a specific e-mail address, already designated in the CIPAFilter, which is then accepted and entered into the archiving database along with all other e-mails.
Searching and Using the E-mail Archive
1. By Keyword – Simply enter a word or phrase and every e-mail in the database containing this data will be displayed.2. By Recipient – You can search e-mails sent and received by a specific user.
3. By Date/Time – E-mails processed within a certain time period can be displayed.
4. Custom Queries – CIPAFilter support staff will be able to run custom queries on the data and provide it to you, especially if you are subpoenaed for specific information for longer periods of time.
5. Forward mail – E-mails can be read, or forwarded to any e-mail address, and received as if you were the original recipient. All attachments will also be included.
6. Pornography Trips – If e-mails include vulgar content, then the administrator is notified, and can access the archive to investigate this user further Administrators then have several options to keep data for longer periods of time. These backups simply need to be kept on local or external storage. One can keep the data local, use tape backups, copy to an external hard drive, burn to a DVD, etc.
Searching and Using the E-mail Archive
The average CIPAFilter can keep e-mails anywhere from 3-18 months, depending on the model used and the amount of e-mails processed. All data is stored on fault-tolerant drives in the CIPAFilter. The database backend used by CIPAFilter is an open-source package known as “postgresql”, and is freely available and non-proprietary.Once the CIPAFilter reaches 90% capacity, or a preconfigured purge routine interval, it begins to purge old data as new data is added. Local database backups are also created weekly, in order to minimize chance of data loss in case of corruption.
In order to allow an administrator to keep e-mails for as long as they wish, the CIPAFilter will copy a backup of the database to any local server once each week. This can be any available Windows or MAC server on the network with enough storage to keep these backups.
Installation & Setup
The e-mail archiving requires that the CIPAFilter “sees” all e-mail traffic. It can be installed in any configuration that is supported by CIPAFilter. The e-mail traffic is setup using the mail server, possible DNS/ Anti-Spam changes, and even client settings. Various installation scenarios and your specific network can be discussed with a CIPAFilter Sales Engineer. We can also verify if your mail server supports journaling, and consult with you on best practices to keep data for longer periods of time. If the CIPAFilter is used for Anti-Spam, the installation is relatively simple, and only outbound and internal e-mails needs to be addressed. If you are using the CIPAFilter as a POP mail server, all e-mails are automatically archived.