Preserv8, an e-mail archive retention and messaging platform developed and introduced by Integr8 IS, has officially met with the full legal requirements that are relevant to electronic communication management in South Africa.
Deon Robertson, CEO of Integr8 IS, confirms that the company received confirmation of the status of the solution as being fully certified and compliant with the extensive South African records management legislative framework.
This includes the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT Act); the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RIC Act); and the King II Report.
Compliance with this legislation is a critical and strategic step in the successful launch of the solution into the local market, adds Robertson.
According to Gerrie van Gaalen, an ICT attorney at the legal firm Van Gaalen Attorneys, e-mail archiving should form an integral part of any organisation's record management set-up.
"Retention of electronic records, ie, e-mails and attached documents, are imperative to ensure that any organisation adheres to South African legislation dealing with retention of records. However, an e-mail service such as Preserv8 should not only retain records, but be able to present e-mails and attached documents in such manner that will be admissible in court and carry evidential weight," he says.
E-mail is key to the discovery process during litigation, even deleted e-mails and e-mails taken home by employees, adds Van Gaalen.
"We all know that the vast majority of information generated in organisations these days is in electronic format. The duty to discover and the costs associated with discovery are borne by the party producing same. As per a recent technical review of Preserv8, it was established that Preserv8 not only enables an organisation to retain e-mail and attached records in accordance with South Africa's retention laws, but also retain e-mails in accordance with section 15 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act of 2002, enabling Preserv8 users to present e-mail during discovery in a format that will carry evidential weight."
Share