Email Archive end of life – here’s what to do

The end of life for an email archive refers to the point at which the vendor decides to discontinue support and development of its archiving software or product. This means that the vendor will no longer provide updates, bug fixes, or technical support for the software, and may eventually stop selling or distributing it.

Implications of email archiving solutions turning EOL

The immediate implications of an email archive turning end of life can be significant for its customers. For example:

1. Increased security risks: Without updates and security patches, the software may become vulnerable to security threats and other issues. This in turn can pose a risk to your organisation’s data and systems.
2. Compatibility issues: As technology advances, an end-of-life software may become incompatible with newer systems or other software, potentially causing disruptions to business operations.
3. Lack of support: If an issue arises with the software, the organisation may not be able to receive technical support from the vendor, which can result in increased downtime and other related problems.

End of Life and End of Service Life are two related but distinct concepts that are often used in the context of technology products.

In general, the main difference between EOL and EOSL is that EOL refers to the end of a product’s entire lifecycle, while EOSL refers to the end of a specific period during which the product is supported by its manufacturer or vendor.

It is important for organisations to be aware of the EOL and EOSL dates for the products they use, as this can help them plan for upgrades or replacements, ensure continued support and maintenance, and minimise potential risks and disruptions to their operations.

The risks associated with email archive EOL include:

1. Security risks: If the email archive software is no longer supported, it may not receive security updates, leaving it vulnerable to new and emerging threats.
2. Data loss: An email archive EOL may result in the loss of archived email data, which can be critical for compliance, legal, or other purposes.
3. Compliance risks: Many industries and organisations have specific regulatory requirements for email retention and retrieval. If an email archive solution is no longer supported, it may not meet these requirements, leading to potential compliance issues.
4. Increased costs: As email archive software approaches EOL, vendors may increase support costs or push customers to migrate to a new solution, which can result in unexpected expenses for the organisation.
5. Operational disruptions: Migrating from one email archive solution to another can be a complex and time-consuming process, which can disrupt normal operations and cause downtime or other issues. Transvault helps mitigate against operational disruptions by simplifying and streamlining the process of migrating from one email archive solution to another, minimising the time and complexity involved and reducing the risk of downtime or other issues.

To mitigate these risks, it is important for organisations to plan for email archive EOL well in advance, and to explore options for migrating to a new solution or upgrading to a supported version of the existing software.

By dedicating time to these email archive EOL considerations, you will help ensure that your organisation is prepared to handle the potential risks associated with the end of support for their email archiving solution. Here are some key considerations:

1. Review vendor support policies: Organisations should review the vendor support policies and timelines for their email archive solution. This will help you understand when support will end and what options are available for ongoing support or migration to a new solution.
2. Plan for migration: Organisations should consider the costs and potential disruption associated with migrating to a new email archive solution, and develop a plan that includes timelines, resource allocation, and testing to help ensure a successful migration.
3. Backup archived email data: To mitigate the risk of data loss, organisations should ensure that their archived email data is backed up and stored securely in a location that is separate from the primary email archive solution.
4. Evaluate compliance requirements: Organisations should evaluate their compliance requirements and assess whether their current email archive solution will continue to meet those requirements after EOL.
5. Consider alternative solutions: Organisations should explore alternative email archive solutions that are supported and offer the features and functionality needed for their business needs.
6. Communicate with stakeholders: It is important to communicate with stakeholders, such as compliance, legal, and IT teams, so they are aware of the potential risks associated with email archive EOL and are involved in the planning process.

By considering these factors, organisations can help mitigate the potential risks associated with email archive EOL and ensure that their email archive data is secure and accessible for compliance, legal, and other purposes.

As email archiving solutions continue to reach their end of life, organisations face a critical need to migrate their email archives to new, supported solutions. Transvault is the leading provider of with years of experience in archive platforms such as Veritas Enterprise Vault, Dell EMC SourceOne and many others.

As well as market-leading software, Transvault offers a range of consulting and professional services to help organisations plan and execute end of life email archive migrations. This includes pre-migration assessments, data mapping and analysis, project management, and other services designed to ensure a successful migration.

Transvault’s software and services provide you with the tools you need to successfully migrate your EOL email archives, ensuring that your critical data remains secure and accessible.

Speak to Transvault today to start planning for a successful email archive migration.