This page covers the most frequently asked questions related to Google Message Discovery service.

	Which email messages can I archive?
	Which mail servers are supported for archiving?
	How long are messages kept in the archive?
	Can I purchase additional archive retention?
	If I purchase additional archive retention, does that apply to messages already in the archive?
	Is there a way to keep messages in the archive after their retention periods expire?
	Can I have different archive retention periods for different users?
	Is there a limit on the number and overall size of messages that are retained in the archive?
	If I choose not to renew my yearly subscription but still have messages in the archive, do I have access to those messages?
	How secure are my archived messages?
	Can I give users access to their own archived messages?

You can archive the following types of messages:

• Inbound: Messages sent from users outside your domain to users inside your domain
• Outbound: Messages sent from users inside your domain to users outside your domain
• Intradomain (internal): Messages sent to and from users within your domain

Important: You must have your own mail server to archive messages with Google Message Discovery. If an ISP or service provider hosts your email, we suggest you consider Google Apps Premier, which includes message archiving and filtering, and doesn't require that you own your mail server.

To archive all of your email messages (inbound, outbound, and intradomain), you need to use a mail server that supports journaling. With journaling, your mail server creates a copy of every message received or sent by a user in your domain. Journaling is supported with the following mail servers: Microsoft Exchange 2000, 2003, and 2007; and Lotus Domino 6.5 - 7.

For archiving only inbound and outbound messages, all common mail servers are supported, including Microsoft Exchange Server, Lotus Domino, Postfix, Sendmail, Macintosh OS X Server, and Novell Groupwise.

Messages are retained in the archive for 1 to 10 years, depending the terms of your purchase.

You cannot purchase additional archive retention years online at this time, so we encourage you to determine your needs before making a purchase.

Archive retention is now priced as follows:

• Up to one year of retention: $25 per user per year
• Up to ten years of retention: $45 per user per year

No. As messages enter the archive, their retention periods are set according to the retention policy in effect at that time.

For example, if on January 1, your retention policy is 1 year, all messages that enter the archive on January 1 and after are retained for 1 year.

If on July 1, you change your retention period to 2 years, then any messages entering the archive on July 1 and after are retained for 2 years. Messages that entered the archive from January 1 to June 30 are retained for 1 year.

Yes. You can place a hold on messages. A hold can be until a specified date, or it can be indefinite.

You can also turn off auto-purge so that no messages are automatically deleted, and are only purged from the archive when you manually delete them.

Administrators can specify different retention periods for different user organizations.

No.

You have the following options:

• You can export the messages you want to keep before you subscription expires.
• You can renew your subscription for $25 per User per Year to access the archive.

Gogle will delete all of your archived messages once your account has been canceled.

Google Message Discovery, powered by Postini, provides RAID-protected, redundant and secure disk storage located in two geographically distinct locations. Google secures customer data through its state-of-the-art architecture, which indexes message data and then writes it to two separate locations for long-term storage. Google takes data security seriously and provides customer access for retrieval -- but not modification -- by role and by password. Additionally, any activities, including, access, search, and export are logged and can be pulled by customers for comprehensive audit reporting and monitoring. We regularly submit our products to SAS 70 Type II and WebTrust for evaluation of rigorous adherence to strict and stringent protocols. Our technical infrastructure and procedural safeguards mean that your data remains safe, secure and auditable with Google.

Yes. You can grant privileges that give individual users access to their own Personal Archives.