Method and system for electronic archival and retrieval of electronic communications
There is provided a method and system for archival and retrieval of communications and related documents that uses hardware and software to selectively monitor, capture, catalog and retrieve electronic communications and documents relating to the business of employees or individuals of the organization to effectively comply with applicable regulations, such as governmental regulations. Archived electronic communications and information are stored in a third party archiving system and accessible by authorized individuals using a secure network connection, such as an intranet web-service or web interface, or an online browser connection to search and retrieve selected archived data and information. The system and method for archiving and retrieving communications is advantageously implemented in an organization having a large volume of electronic communications and storage requirements.
1. A method for retrieving an archived electronic communication from a third party storage medium in an archival and retrieval system, comprising the steps of:
a first individual initiating a request for retrieval of said archived electronic communication;
a second individual determining whether said request meets a first approval criteria and notifying said first individual of said determination;
when said request meets said first approval criteria, a third individual, reviewing said request and determining whether said request meets a second approval criteria and notifying said second individual of said determination;
a fourth individual determining whether to initiate an audit service request;
said fourth individual executing said request to access and retrieve said archived electronic communication from said third party storage medium when said audit service request is not processed;
said third party executing said request to access and retrieve said archived electronic communication from said third party storage medium when said audit services request is approved; and
delivering said retrieved archived electronic communication to a designated individual.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
denying said request when said request does not meet at least one of said first approval criteria and said second approval criteria; and
storing said denied request in data storage medium.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said archived electronic communication was converted into a second data format to create a converted electronic communication.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said converted electronic communication was stored pending confirmation that said converted electronic communication had been received at said third party storage device.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating and storing an error message when said converted electronic communication is not properly received by said storage device.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising indexing said converted electronic communication.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said designated individual retrieves said stored electronic communication via a secure network connection.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein said secure network connection is at least one of an intranet web-service and online browser connection linked over private communications links.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a status notice for said request.