Convert emails to PDF at the tap of a button

Most of today’s business correspondence is handled less on paper and more so electronically. While this saves time and money, it raises entirely new questions at the same time, such as:

• What needs to be considered when archiving emails?
• Which mails have to be archived and what’s the best way of doing so without creating a lot of extra work for the employees?

Statutory regulations stipulate which mails must be retained, namely all incoming and outgoing commercial and business letters including orders, invoices and letters of complaint. These regulations can be found in the German Fiscal Code (AO). The German Commercial Code (HGB) describes exactly what is classified as a commercial letter, or Handelsbrief. As far as archiving types and methods are concerned, there are several options that range from complex and error-prone manual filing all the way to powerful information technology solutions that save resources and run securely in the background.

IT service providers working backstage

All major corporations, including those in the financial sector, collaborate with IT service providers that work behind the scenes. These service providers generally handle the entire spectrum of information technology – from development and the providing of applications and infrastructure, all the way to operating data centers. And as you would expect, consulting and support round out their extensive portfolio. One of their tasks includes ensuring email archiving that is fully audit compliant. This is where the right software solutions are needed. These tools must make certain that documents are converted seamlessly in the background and that normal business processes are not disrupted.

A smart and reliable way of archiving important electronic business documents

Every day an enormous amount of emails accumulate in medium and large enterprises, and not only those in the financial sector. In order to secure and store this data over the long term, you almost always need an archive system capable of centrally saving emails. In this case it makes sense to save the mails and attachments in PDF/A, the format that guarantees the contents will be readable over time.

Full conversion of IBM Notes documents to PDF format

A frequently used system, especially in the financial world, is IBM Notes. And so it would be most advantageous if the software application you’re going to use for archiving can be integrated within that system. What’s needed is an end-to-end solution package for converting IBM Notes content and file attachments into the PDF format.

The combination of the n2pdf and webPDF software packages from SoftVision Development in Fulda delivers on all the requirements that IT service providers typically look for when tasked to implement a system of audit-compliant email archiving for a large corporation. Another important prerequisite is that the software supports the PDF/A-1b standard to enable long-term document archiving.

n2pdf for IBM Notes applications

The n2pdf solution is one of the few tools on the market that is designed specifically for integration with IBM Notes applications. Using Java programming, n2pdf can be used in Notes/Domino or external Domino applications. This software not only lets you retain the structures, links and cross references of IBM Notes documents and attachments in PDF, but also extend them with additional elements. Conversions run automatically in the background so that archiving involves no extra effort for the employees.

Another benefit is how fast and easy it is to implement. Generally, the only time-consuming part of the rollout is adapting the organizational environment, which often involves what can be highly complex legal regulations. And, of course, data protection and auditing requirements must always be complied with.

n2pdf as the basis for a sophisticated archiving strategy

Using the example of the financial sector, the software’s features can be made available to a bank with a nationwide branch network. The technical side of the operation can then be managed and controlled centrally within the respective IT provider’s data center. The user-friendly structure and ease with which n2pdf and webPDF can be integrated alleviate the need for any developer or similar such training. The service provider can also ensure that audit quality and compliance are maintained at all times. This means that emails can be retrieved quickly and are safeguarded against being changed or manipulated.