Mimecast launches cloud archiving service for Microsoft® Lync®

Mimecast has launched Mimecast Archiving for Microsoft Lync IM, a secure cloud-based archive for all Microsoft Lync Instant Messages (IM), as well as the files, presentations and whiteboards that have been shared or transferred using Lync. The new service ensures IM conversations and files are archived securely on Mimecast’s cloud service and available easily to the organization for search and export in the event of an e-discovery or compliance requirement.

Instant Messaging within organizations is growing in popularity and according to Microsoft 90 of the Fortune 100 currently use Microsoft Lync IM. Organizations recognize the need to archive their email for discovery and compliance purposes but often don’t think of IM in the same way and many are failing to effectively archive this despite its growing use and popularity with employees.

Mimecast Archiving for Microsoft Lync IM makes archiving this additional data easy and secure without the need for more hardware and associated cost on the network. Also search and statistics are available to administrators through their existing Mimecast online console reducing e-discovery complexity.

Engin Yilmaz, Product Manager, Mimecast says, “It’s great to see that more organizations are using Lync for communication and to improve end-user productivity. What is concerning though is that many of them do so without recognizing they need to archive the IM conversation just as they do other electronic conversations like email. Also some of those that have actually considered archiving have chosen solutions that create more work for their IT administrators, add yet more complexity to their network, aren’t fully featured, are tough to use and add unnecessary cost to their budget.”

The Lync service complements other Mimecast archiving products for email and files, and uses the Mimecast Administration Console to give administrators a unified interface for searches against all electronic conversations, regardless of their format. Additionally the Mimecast Synchronization Engine periodically checks for new messages and sends them to the Mimecast archive automatically. These features keep the overall cost of discovery down and reduce the risk and complexity associated with searching across multiple data repositories.