Alex,

I tend to view “use of PSTs” and “processes for email management” as two separate, but related, issues. Whilst not ideal for many reasons, PSTs can be used as part of the email management solution. The key, however, is to introduce processes for managing emails on a day-to-day basis so that non-records are deleted in a timely manner and records are classified in the most appropriate way for retention purposes. This is the foundation of any email records management solution, whether it uses PSTs or some other technology. Once you have that foundation in place, it is then a little easier to identify a technology solution to manage the emails that have been appropriately classified for retention. Simply introducing a whizzy email management solution rarely addresses the fundamental issue. Incidentally, I have seen many good examples of email management processes based around use of PST files, although it starts to get somewhat challenging when long-term electronic archiving needs to be addressed!

Eldin.