Thinc-Store Enterprise Support

FAQ's

1. Do I have to set up an account for each user?  Can I collect all email from in and out of the system?

2. What is the network flow of email traffic when I have Thinc-Store Enterprise server?

3. Can I have some people not using Thinc-Store and by-passing it so that their email will not be stored or tracked?

4. How do I prevent staff using Web-based email clients?

5. Can anyone access the search component of Thinc-Store Enterprise?

6. Once email have been transferred and burned to CD/DVD am I still able to search for them?

7. What if the CD is not in the CD drive, can I still access the information?

8. What happens if the main server fails? Can I rebuilt my data files?

9. How do I retrieve a stored email?

10. What is I don’t want to use the system any more.  Am I able to still access the CD/DVD’s?

11. Do I require a local email gateway on my network?

12. We use multiple email gateways on our network.  How do I set up one Thinc-Store Enterprise to manage them all?

Yes.  You are required to create an account for each user.  This is for two reasons.  First, this creates an auditable trail on a per-user basis and enables pass-through authentication for the mail server.

You could only capture all mail in and out generically if the system was installed and set up in your local network however this would not allow individual auditable accounts. 

A2.
What is the network flow of email traffic when I have Thinc-Store Enterprise server?

All email is required to route through Thinc-Store Enterprise at some point. To do this you must reconfigure all email clients to point to Thinc-Store Enterprise on outgoing mail and Thinc-Store Enterprise will then pass all mail to your mail server.  On incoming mail the email client will request mail from your mail server however it will first pass through Thinc-Store Enterprise by masquerading as that user so that it can pull the mail first through Thinc-Store Enterprise and then deliver it to the email client. 

A3.
Can I have some people not using Thinc-Store Enterprise and by-passing it so that their email will not be stored or tracked? 

No.  By default port 25 and port 110 are blocked.  This means that unless they pass through Thinc-Store Enterprise no mail will be sent or received.

A4.
How do I prevent staff using Web-based email clients?         

We do not manage internet traffic however if you set up a Proxy Server (even a free one) which you can download from the internet and direct all internet traffic through, you can then deny access to any standard Web-based mail company eg Hotmail, Yahoo, Email.com.  This makes Thinc-Store Enterprise extremely water-tight in security by forcing all traffic regarding email through the system.
 

A5.
Can anyone access the search component of Thinc-Store Enterprise?

No. Only Administrators can undertake searches within Thinc-Store Enterprise.  Warning! Once all data has been moved to a CD/DVD, there are no security settings on the CD/DVD.  Careful consideration should be given to storage of these disks owing to the sensitive and confidential nature of their contents. 
 

A6.
Once email have been transferred and burned to CD/DVD am I still able to search for them?

Yes.  A copy of all criteria is kept on the main database and also if space permits, the ISO image of that CD/DVD is also kept on the server enabling you to search off that image directly.  Alternately you can insert the CD/DVD directly into any machine and execute the search engine off the CD/DVD.

For this reason we highly recommend your storing the CD/DVD’s in a secured environment. 

A7.
What if the CD is not in the CD drive, can I still access the information?

Yes.  Provided you can access the server an ISO image can be kept on the hard drive to enable continued access.

A8.
What happens if the main server fails? Can I rebuilt my data files?
 

Yes. There is an import option built into the program enabling you to re-insert the CD/DVD’s one at a time.  The program will rebuilt the data file from all archive CD/DVD’s however unless the current data that was on the server was backed up just prior to the system failure, this most current data would be lost.
 

A9.
How do I retrieve a stored email?
 

All email are stored as an individual file in an rtf.doc format. If you wish to retrieve these email you can either copy the file directly from a CD/DVD or if set up correctly it can be emailed to you using an email client from the server.  Any attachments associated with that email would be included.

A10.
What is I don’t want to use the system any more.  Am I able to still access the CD/DVD’s?
 

Yes.  There is no time limit or expiry date on the database once stored on the CD/DVD. This will continue to function as an independent application and all data will still be manageable and retrievable at any time even without Thinc-Store Enterprise.

A11.
Do I require a local email gateway on my network?

No.  However, for simplicity sake it can be used. This would be set up as a relay and all mail would be routed through Thinc-Store Enterprise prior to being delivered to the end user.  This means local internal email will actually travel outside your network. This would increase your internet traffic but ultimately would benefit your company by having an external off-site storage facility in the event of a system glitch or failure.

A12.
We use multiple email gateways on our network.  How do I set up one Thinc-Store Enterprise to manage them all? 

Set all email servers as relays and forward all mail to Thinc-Store Enterprise.  This will, however, increase the load component of Thinc-Store Enterprise and it would be recommended that multiple versions be used to better balance excessive traffic.  This can be set up in multiple locations and on multiple servers.