Email Protection Module for Transparent Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for backing up email data are often expensive and inefficient, particularly when implementing features like journaling for Microsoft EXCHANGE or IBM DOMINO servers, and they fail to provide real-time accessibility and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an email protection module that routes email traffic to secondary storage for inline backup, allowing backup copies of emails to be stored transparently without the need for additional licenses, enabling real-time accessibility and compliance with retention policies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If journaling features are implemented for Microsoft EXCHANGE or IBM DOMINO servers to backup email data, then email backup capability is improved, but implementation cost increases due to expensive licenses
Solution Approach 1:
An email protection module is introduced as an intermediary component between the email server and secondary storage. This module intercepts email traffic, creates backup copies, and stores them independently without requiring expensive journaling licenses from Microsoft EXCHANGE or IBM DOMINO servers. The module acts as a mediator that achieves backup functionality through a different technical approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates backup copies of email messages by intercepting them during transmission and storing copies in secondary storage. Instead of relying on the email server's built-in journaling capability, the system independently copies email data to backup storage, eliminating the need for expensive licensed features while maintaining backup reliability.
2Reliability
If traditional email backup methods are used, then email data is protected, but accessibility and searchability of backup copies deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The email protection module serves as an intermediary that not only backs up email data but also maintains it in an accessible format. By positioning itself in the email traffic flow, it can store backup copies with preserved metadata and structure, enabling easy searchability and retrieval without compromising data protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension to email storage by creating a separate backup storage path parallel to the primary email system. This independent backup dimension allows users to access and search backup copies without interfering with the primary email system's operations, improving both accessibility and searchability while maintaining data protection.
3Reliability
If expensive licensed features are purchased for email backup, then backup functionality is achieved, but cost-effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces expensive, licensed email backup features with a more economical approach using standard email protocols and generic storage capabilities. The email protection module uses readily available technologies to achieve backup functionality without requiring costly perpetual licenses, significantly improving cost-effectiveness while maintaining reliable backup operations.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing an intermediary email protection module that uses standard protocols, the system avoids the need for expensive vendor-specific licensed features. This intermediary approach achieves the same backup functionality using more cost-effective, universally compatible technologies.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of this disclosure relate to protecting email data. For example, email protection rules can instruct an email server to route an email to an email protection module. The one or more email rules can identify a group of one or more email addresses. The email protection module can receive an email from the email server that has an email address of the group as an intended receipt. The email protection module can route the email to secondary storage and store the email in secondary storage to create a secondary copy of the email. The secondary copy can be stored inline to persistent memory of secondary storage, according to certain embodiments. Access to the backup copy of the email stored to the persistent memory can be controlled, for example, based on whether a user had permission to access to the email when the email was sent.