Numerous high profile business scandals over the past years have forced the hand of legislative bodies to enforce a solid and tangible audit trail.  Electronic records often form important parts of evidence and so must be retained and protected.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) are one of these entities that have jurisdiction in this area.  Their main rules are that businesses must retain emails and business records for between three and six years.  That records must be stored safely and securely in at least two different locations and they must be organized, date stamped and searchable.

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) are a body of rules that govern court procedures for managing civil suits in the United States district courts. Their interest is that businesses keep their records in case they are needed for litigation purposes.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 is legislation enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SOX act relates to what kind of records are stored and for how long.  Act states that all business records, including electronic records and electronic messages, must be saved for "not less than five years."

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 established federal regulations that require all organizations that manage Protected Health Information (PHI) to safeguard the privacy and security of their data.

These are just four good reasons why you need a plan for archiving mail.