Google Message Discovery

Amidst this week of notorious hoaxes, Google has launched Google Message Discovery as an enterprise-focused add on for its Google Apps platform. Google Message Discovery goes well beyond a simple and reliable e-mail backup system and provides three key features of interest to records managers:

1. Content-addressable storage for electronic mail stored immediately upon sending or retrieval
2. Creating explicit retention policies based upon time
3. Compliance with relevant laws and best practices
4. Straightforward discovery for any use, regardless if internal or concerning litigation

Google Message Discovery, as well as other related offerings such as e-mail security, clearly has its origins in Google's acquisition of Postini last year. Postini isn't some startup with dubious or perpetually beta offerings (e.g. Dodgeball or GrandCentral); some of their better known clients include BASF and Merrill Lynch. At $25 per user per year, the service seems to be an incredible steal.