NearPoint is an archiving platform for use with Microsoft Exchange. Included features enable the immediate archiving of real-time Exchange data, including messages, calendars, contacts, notes, etc. as well as search/discovery and recovery tools for the stashed data. Multiple optional components (more below) are available that extend the core product with features such as disaster recovery, content monitoring, custodian file data archiving, and more.

NearPoint operates on its own Windows server, not requiring an agent to be deployed or reside on the Exchange Server itself. Leveraging the vendor's "Continuous Application Shadowing" technology, the product captures Exchange Log data as it is committed to disk, storing it on NearPoint itself. From this log data the product then extracts the E-mail content, indexes it, and stores it using single-instance-storage methodologies. Architecture-wise, the platform is a multi-node grid, with the vendor noting that both servers and storage are hot-pluggable and can be replaced/extended without breaking archive consistency. From "... 100 mailboxes to tens of thousands of mailboxes..." can be supported by the platform. Interface-wise, the platform is accessed through MMC and/or Outlook or OWA-based self-service tools; through the console, administrators can perform both DB and mailbox level restores, while the self-service tools enable individuals (mailbox owners or auditors) to search, access, and recover individual archived or "extended" messages.

As alluded to above, in addition to mailbox archiving, NearPoint facilitates the extension of mailbox information to the NearPoint archive based on parameters such as message size, age, or quotas; with extended messages still accessible by users via Outlook/OWA.

Several optional components provide advanced features for the NearPoint platform. These include:

- The eDiscovery Option, which adds extended content searching capabilities targeted primarily for legal reviews. This add-on runs from the auditor's desktop and includes full text message search of messages and attachments, team-aware workflow features including the ability to save and re-use search criteria, and the ability to place found messages on retention hold.

- The Disaster Recovery Option, which allows for replication of both Exchange Server and archived data over unlimited distances to a standby Exchange Server, with one-click failover in the event of a disaster.

- The PST Archiving Option, which allows for the crawling and adding of PST information into the archive. After being crawled and stored, the PST files can be automatically deleted, or remain and be managed by NearPoint itself.

- The Custodian Collector Option enables the scanning of file shares, laptops, and desktops for selected documents based on file attributes such as document owner, creation date, modification date, or file type (Excel, Word, and PDF). Found documents are stored in the archive as a "forensically defensible copy," which can then be searched for/examined via the eDiscovery option.

- The Content Monitoring Option watches custodian mailboxes (all, selected departments/workgroups, or individuals) for specific content (via pre-packaged and customizable keyword-based lexicons), with violations sent to appropriate personnel as E-mail alerts. Logging and reporting features are also included, and monitored information includes all mailbox data, including calendar entries, messages, contacts, tasks, notes, etc.

- The newest addition, the Tiered Storage Option, provides the archiving platform with dynamic provisioning and automated migration mechanisms that govern which types of data are stored on a given tier of storage; keep frequently-accessed archival data close at hand all the while adhering to business service level requirements. According to the company, TSO prioritizes data on a number of user defined parameters including ownership, date, file and email metadata, content, custom tags, keywords, numeric strings and more.

NearPoint is available now. Pricing is via one-time license payments, and starts at $40/per mailbox. Additional options are $16 (eDiscovery, Content Monitoring), $8 (Disaster recovery), and $6 (PST, Custodian Collector) per mailbox. An Enterprise Bundle can be purchased for $64/per mailbox.

Visit the vendor's Web site for further information.