Many organizations rely on IM for legitimate business communications and activities. At least some of that IM should be classified as a business record and retained and managed according to written rules and policies. The courts appreciate consistency. If you have a policy of retaining certain paper records for three years, be sure to retain similar IM business records for thirty-six months as well. [7] You should also familiarize yourself with regulators’ retention rules.
[7]Ibid.