{
  "timestamp": "2025-02-05T21:38:06.765397",
  "content": "Search Free Trial Get Demo Top 6 Risks  Guidance When Considering O365 As an Archiving Solution April 14, 2021 We will just use Office365 for our search requests from now on. As more and more companies move from hosted Exchange to Office365, this has become an increasingly common phrase. While O365 is a useful tool and has an attractive value proposition, it is recommended that organizations check their true requirements before using it as a legitimate archiving solution. Generally, the whole point of the archive capability is to provide a search and data retrieval functionality that is immutable, trustworthy, and certifiable  in most cases  in court. As adoption rates of Office 365 continue to strengthen, specifically for archiving capabilities, IT Security  Compliance teams must consider key associated risks. Office365 does not allow for journaling to itself While this might not seem like something of utmost importance, O365 lacks the basic functionality for journaling to itself. Why? The destination must be off premises from the tenant ID and must be a destination that is immutable and external from the Tenant itself. Even Microsoft doesnt trust its own repository to be immutable  it cant be  since administrators and other power users can delete, purge and otherwise manipulate messages  this doesnt pass audit requirements. Office365s eDiscovery features are incredibly limited and doesnt search on- premises datasets When search requests are executed, they are only done based on existing mailboxes, which of course would not uncover any emails previously deleted or purged, or what the spam filters deleted. In many litigation cases, organizations will need to see years worth of emails upfront. Unfortunately, O365 limits your search results to default amounts set by Microsoft  and this is not sufficient for most large-scale litigation. Journaling upline from these factors ensures that all data is captured and is legitimately available as an organization needs it. Microsoft will make recommendations to continue running Exchange to continue to journal to  if you dont have an archiving appliance or service Organizations seeking active cloud migration from on- premise will face challenges around keeping old archives. Many teams have metadata and other content that must be kept and integrated  and Office 365 does not provide this integrated capability. It is important to consider from a budgetary perspective, as third-party solutions will be required. Office365s Golden Copy Is Not Compliance Friendly The journaling process captures an email message as soon as it is sent or received, ensuring it has not been deleted or edited. This method creates a copy of record or golden copy which can be used in the eDiscovery process. In the case of O365, users have access to delete and purge mail which poses a risk throughout the journaling process, allowing for potential gaps in data consistency, handling or chain of custody. Search  Discovery is Slow Slow and steady doesnt always win the race. Organizations need their data now and they need it fast. Many undergoing audits will need access to all records in real-time and having to wait for prolonged periods will inevitably cause delays, longer audit cycles and potential increased budgetary consequences. Sometimes an eDiscovery request within the Microsoft portal can take days. The streamlined Issues of O365 Apply to Other Collaboration Platforms Teams, OneDrive, and Sharepoint, namely. All data sets are subject generally to the same discovery and retention rules. Global retention policies cannot be set across all data sets in Azure, data sets cannot be deduplicated, and organizations cannot classify, move and otherwise apply compliance actions against these same datasets in Azure. Key Takeaways Office365 should not be the end allbe all for an organizations email archiving solutions, and third- party archiving solutions, like Data443s business- ready Data Archive Manager, are a necessary addition to Office365 capabilities. Data Archive Manager, unlike Office365, provides superior indexing technology, allowing users to perform simple or highly detailed Boolean searches using full-text keywords or key phrases. In addition to eDiscovery and audit capabilities, Data Archive Manger de-duplicates all email messages, attachments, file systems, SharePoint, and social media, then compresses the data prior to storing it to an on-premise appliance, SAN, NAS, or cloud-based hosted storage solution. Contact us to learn more today. Try it for Free Instant Data Classification Cyren URL Category Chacker Prev ARALOC Web Publisher UI Rewrite Data443s Antivirus Protection Manager Proactively Safeguarding Your Business Next Company Partners Resources Investor Relations Products Freeware Demo Solutions Contact Us Privacy Management Service by Data443",
  "analysis_type": "product",
  "analysis": "**Analysis of Office 365 Archiving Capabilities and Recommendations**\n\n**1. Key Security Features and Capabilities:**\n- **Journaling Limitations:** Office 365 cannot journal to itself, requiring an external, immutable destination, which it cannot provide internally due to administrator access that can alter or delete data.\n- **eDiscovery Constraints:** Limited to existing mailboxes, it cannot retrieve deleted emails, crucial for legal cases, and search results are restricted by Microsoft's defaults.\n\n**2. User Benefits and Protection Measures:**\n- **Native Features:** Provides basic eDiscovery and retention policies but falls short for large-scale needs.\n- **Third-Party Solutions:** Tools like Data443's Archive Manager offer enhanced search, deduplication, and compression, improving data management and protection.\n\n**3. Integration with Existing Security Systems:**\n- **Limitations in O365:** Poor integration with existing systems for comprehensive archiving.\n- **Third-Party Integration:** Solutions can bridge gaps, integrating with on-premises and cloud storage, ensuring seamless data management.\n\n**4. Compliance and Certification Details:**\n- **O365 Shortcomings:** Fails to meet audit requirements due to mutable data and limited eDiscovery.\n- **Third-Party Compliance:** Ensures data integrity and comprehensive search, aiding compliance with regulatory standards.\n\n**5. Security Best Practices for Users:**\n- **Recommendations:** Use third-party archiving solutions alongside O365 to ensure immutability, comprehensive data coverage, and efficient search capabilities.\n\n**6. Technical Specifications and Requirements:**\n- **Third-Party Requirements:** Solutions should support deduplication, compression, and storage on various platforms, handling multiple data sources beyond email.\n\n**Conclusion:**\nWhile Office 365 offers basic archiving features, its limitations in journaling, eDiscovery, and compliance necessitate third-party solutions. These tools enhance security, compliance, and efficiency, providing a robust archiving strategy for organizations."
}