Information technology (IT) service provider Gijima has implemented a unified email management system to enable its extensive mobile workforce to access its email archives instantly, said Gijima group manager for infrastructure Riaan van der Westhuizen.

After a brief but serious loss in messaging capability and in a bid to adhere to internal governance and external legislature, Gijima deployed a unified email management system, developed by cloud-based email archiving and security company Mimecast. This resulted in high email availability and consistent uptime for all users at all times, he said.

“We reduced the complexity of our Microsoft Exchange environment several years ago, expecting that this would improve email availability. While this effort simplified email management, it did not solve all the challenges associated with an on-premise system,” he noted.

The company initially deployed Mimecast Unified Email Management in 2011. Record retention is no longer a concern and it has not experienced a single period of downtime since then, added Van der Westhuizen.

Mimecast provides Gijima’s IT department with control over the group’s email environment through the use of an administration console and it has met the service provider’s requirements with regard to email security, email hygiene and branding.

Further, Mimecast’s mobile services enabled users to access all messages securely and easily for up to ten years, said Mimecast South Africa regional channel manager Bernadine Joaquim.

“We preloaded Mimecast’s email application onto every applicable mobile device that we handed over to our employees. More than 3 000 handsets and tablets currently use this service,” noted Van der Westhuizen.

There has also been a significant reduction in spam since Mimecast’s system was implemented. Some employees had to spend an hour cleaning out their inboxes. This is no longer a concern and Gijima feels confident about the state of its email security overall, he said.

“Mimecast enables organisations to provide their employees with secure access to their email archive. Employees also have the flexibility to use their business and personal devices without the cost or complexity of managing additional licences,” concluded Joaquim.

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