Where are state governments e-mail messages stored?
There are basically two ways e-mail can be stored by a state government user. If the user stores an e-mail or item in the “Outlook Today” or main “Outlook” folder, it is stored on a COT-maintained Microsoft Exchange server. At the end of the day, if that item is still in any of the “Outlook Today” folders, it will be backed up by COT. The message is stored and retrievable for ten (10) days by COT and then deleted completely from COT systems. The ten-day period is COT standard operational procedure and based primarily on cost considerations. It is important to note that the “back up” COT performs each night is essentially a snapshot of what resides in the user’s “Outlook Today” folder, including what may still be in their “Deleted Items” folder. If, at anytime a user deletes items from the “Deleted Items” folder, then that item is not retrievable unless it was previously captured on a backup. The second way e-mail can be stored is by the user storing it in his/her “Personal” folder (.ps
