Does COT keep a backup of every e-mail generated by every state computer?
No. State agencies are responsible for retaining copies of their own e-mail data, according to the agency’s record retention policies. COT performs nightly backups of the enterprise e-mail database, but this is done for the purpose of ensuring the continued availability of the enterprise e-mail service, not for records retention purposes. In addition, it’s important to note that not all agencies utilize the enterprise e-mail system. Some agencies administer their own e-mail systems (listed below, at the bottom). Also, e-mail messages that were deleted and then emptied from the deleted folder prior to a backup may not be captured on a backup tape, depending on the timing of the deletions.
