Is your current archiving solution frustrating you on a daily basis? Endless searches, skyrocketing costs, recurring breakdowns…
Discover the 10 warning signs that indicate it’s time to migrate to a modern solution. Every day lost costs you in productivity, compliance and legal risks.
Why is this guide essential for your company?
Swiss SMEs invest an average of CHF 12,000 to 35,000 per year in email archiving (infrastructure + maintenance + IT time). Yet 63% of them use outdated solutions that no longer meet today’s requirements.
Practical consequences:
- ⏱️ 2-5 hours lost per week in fruitless searches
- 💰 Hidden costs: unplanned maintenance, underused licenses
- ⚖️ Legal risks: CO non-compliance, nLPD, failed audits
- 🔒 Security vulnerabilities: unpatched systems, faulty backups
The aim of this article is to help you identify warning signs before they become critical problems.
Sign 1: if searching for an email takes more than 30 seconds
The symptom
“What happened to last month’s email from Client SA?“
You spend 5 to 15 minutes per search, multiplying attempts with different keywords. The results are incomplete, disorganized and irrelevant.
Why is it serious?
Productivity impact :
- The average employee searches 8-12 times a day
- Time lost: 40-180 minutes/day/person
- For a team of 20 people: 160-600 hours lost per month
Real cost: CHF 8’000-30’000/month (salaries paid for research instead of production)
Legal impact :
- During an audit, you need to deliver emails within a few hours
- Slow search = production delay = possible penalties
- eDiscovery impossible on time = damage in litigation
Technical causes
Obsolete indexing :
- No real-time indexing (sequential file-by-file searching)
- Attachments not indexed or OCR missing (scanned PDFs invisible)
- Incomplete metadata (date, sender incorrectly captured)
Undersized infrastructure :
- Aging servers (processors <2015, HDD vs SSD disks)
- Insufficient RAM memory (< 8 GB for archive server)
- Non-optimized database (fragmentation, corrupted indexes)
The modern solution
- ✅ Search < 3 seconds on millions of emails
- ✅ Real-time indexing of all content (body + attachments)
- ✅ Automatic OCR on PDF, images, scanned documents
- ✅ Intelligent ranking by relevance (IA/ML)
Immediate ROI: recovery of 35-40 hours/month per employee.
Sign 2: your archiving costs are rising every year
The symptom
Your archiving bill has risen by 30-60% in 3 years, with no improvement in service. Or worse: you’re paying for licenses for employees who left 2 years ago.
Deciphering hidden costs
On-premise model :
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHF 45,000 (initial investment) | CHF 18,000 (maintenance) | CHF 18,000 + CHF 12,000 (storage expansion) | CHF 55,000 (replacement of obsolete servers) |
Recurring costs often overlooked :
- 🔧 Hardware maintenance: CHF 3’000-8’000/year
- ⚡ Electricity + cooling: CHF 2’000-4’000/year
- 👤 IT time (10-15% of an FTE): CHF 12’000-20’000/year
- 💾 External backups: CHF 2’500-6’000/year
- 🔄 Mandatory upgrades: CHF 5’000-15’000 every 2-3 years
License traps (Office 365, Exchange) :
- Maintain user licenses = CHF 8-15/month/ghost user
- For 50 users with turnover 20%/year over 3 years → 30 phantom licenses = CHF 3’600-5’400/year wasted
The cost of inaction
Case study – SME 60 employees, Vaud :
“Our 2017 on-premise solution was costing us CHF 22,000/year in maintenance. In 2023, storage extension: +CHF 18’000. In 2024, server out of order: +CHF 35’000 replacement. Total 2023-2024: CHF 95,000. Proofpoint Archive cloud migration: CHF 13,000/year all-inclusive.”
Real savings: CHF 42,000 over 2 years.
The modern solution
- ✅ Fixed, predictable subscription (CHF 18-24/user/month)
- ✅ Unlimited storage included (no surprises)
- ✅ Automatic updates at no extra cost
- ✅ Transparent scalability: monthly adjustable licenses
Delete: Phantom licenses paid for nothing.
Sign 3: You’ve already lost (or almost lost) data.
The symptom
Real-life scenarios :
- Server failure → 48h without accessible archives
- Accidental deletion folder → emails permanently lost
- Ransomware → backups also encrypted (no off-site copies)
- Fire/flood → server destroyed, archives lost
The scary statistics
According to a Gartner 2024 study :
- 45% of SMEs suffer data loss over 3 years
- Average cost of a loss: CHF 85,000-420,000 (reconstitution + lost litigation)
- 60% of SMEs that lose their data close down within 6 months
In Switzerland :
- Legal obligation: archiving for 10 years (French Code of Obligations)
- Loss = non-compliance = penalties of up to CHF 250,000 (nLPD)
Causes of loss
Poorly secured on-premise :
- ❌ Single on-site backup (same fire/theft risk)
- ❌ No regular restore test (corrupt backup discovered too late)
- ❌ Aging hard disks (2-5% failure rate after 5 years)
- ❌ Human error (rm -rf * by admin junior)
Uncertified low-cost cloud :
- ❌ No geographical redundancy (1 single datacenter)
- ❌ Supplier goes bankrupt (data lost)
- ❌ No export possible (vendor lock-in)
Resilience test: are you protected?
Ask yourself these questions:
- If your office burns down tonight, will your archives survive? Yes / No
- Do you test your backups at least once a quarter? Yes / No
- Do you have an off-site copy (>50 km)? Yes / No
- Can you restore in <4h in the event of an incident? Yes / No
- Are your backups encrypted AND air-gapped? Yes / No
Less than 4 “Yes”? You’re in danger.
The modern solution
- ✅ Automatic replication on 3+ remote datacenters (Europe)
- ✅ 99.9% guaranteed availability (SLA with penalties)
- ✅ RTO < 4h (Recovery Time Objective) in the event of an incident
- ✅ RPO < 1h (Recovery Point Objective) = max 1h emails lost
- ✅ WORM storage (tamper-proof, anti-ransomware)
Disaster recovery certification tested annually.
Sign 4: Your solution does not support teleworking
The symptom
Your employees who telework or travel complain:
- “I can’t access the archives from home“.
- “VPN is too slow, search no longer responds“
- “On my mobile, it’s impossible“.
Post-COVID business impact
Teleworking statistics Switzerland 2025 :
- 68% of SMEs use hybrid teleworking
- 42% of employees on flex-office (2-3 days/week remote)
- Sales representatives/consultants: 60-80% of time out of the office
Consequence: Non-mobile solution = 30-50% loss of remote productivity.
On-premise limitations
VPN access :
- ⚠️ Complex configuration (IT must intervene on each device)
- ⚠️ Performance degraded (latency +200-500ms, bandwidth divided by 3-5)
- ⚠️ Bottleneck if 20+ simultaneous users
- ❌ No native mobile access (smartphone/tablet difficult)
Blocked use case :
- Audit surprise → external auditor can’t connect easily
- Salesman on the road → impossible to find customer offer
- Family telecommuting → unstable VPN connection
The modern solution
- ✅ Universal access: any browser, no VPN required
- ✅ Native iOS and Android mobile applications
- ✅ S ame office/teleworking/relocation experience
- ✅ S ecure sharing links for external listeners (temporary, encrypted)
- ✅ Secure HTTPS connection from anywhere
Identical productivity in remote and in the office.
Sign 5: You’re not sure you’re compliant (CO, nLPD, FINMA)
The symptom
Questions that keep you up at night :
- “Are we really compliant with the mandatory 10 years?“
- “Can the integrity of our archives be proven in an audit?“
- “Does the nLPD (September 2023) change our obligations?“
Swiss legal requirements (reminder)
Swiss Code of Obligations (art. 958f) :
- ✅ Archiving 10 years minimum after year-end
- ✅ Integrity guaranteed (non-modifiable, time-stamped)
- ✅ Always available (can be read at any time)
- ✅ Authorized formats: paper, electronic or equivalent
nLPD (since September 1, 2023) :
- ✅ Personal data protection (encryption, controlled access)
- ✅ Documented shelf life
- ✅ Right to erasure after legal deadlines
- ✅ Penalties of up to CHF 250,000 for intentional breaches
Regulated sectors :
- Finance: FINMA, SEC 17a-4, FINRA → archiving ALL communications
- Health: Medical confidentiality, 10-20 years depending on canton
- Legal: Professional secrecy (art. 321 CP), 10+ years
The pitfalls of non-compliance
DIY solution (PST, manual exports) :
- ❌ Impossible to prove integrity (editable files)
- ❌ Risk of gaps (emails forgotten in export)
- ❌ No certified timestamp
- ❌ Audit = failure guaranteed
Uncertified on-premise solution :
- ⚠️ Burden of proof on you
- ⚠️ Document all procedures (complex)
- ⚠️ Regular testing required (time-consuming)
Compliance test: 5 questions, take the test!
Less than 4 “Yes”? Probable non-compliance.
The modern solution
- ✅ Automatic CO compliance (default 10 years, configurable)
- ✅ nLPD compliant (encryption, DPA, EU hosting)
- ✅ Certified WORM storage (unalterable, time-stamped)
- ✅ Industry certifications: SEC 17a-4, FINRA, SOC 2
- ✅ Automatic audit reports (ready to supply)
Auditors accept Proofpoint compliance without question.
Sign 6: IT maintenance takes up 5+ hours a week
The symptom
Your IT administrator (internal or external) spends 1-2 hours a day on archiving:
- Server monitoring
- Disk space management (always full)
- Manual updates (postponed for fear of breaking)
- User ticket management (“I can’t find my email”)
- Recurring failures (disks, network)
The hidden cost of maintenance
Average on-premise IT time :
- Daily maintenance: 30-60 min/day
- Monthly incidents: 3-6 hours/month
- Quarterly updates: 4-8 hours/quarter
- Annual audits: 8-16 hours/year
Annual total: 200-400 hours = 25-50 days/year
Financial cost :
- Internal IT Admin (CHF 80’000-120’000/year) → 10-15% time = CHF 8’000-18’000/year
- External service provider (CHF 150-200/h) → 200-400h = CHF 30’000-80’000/year
Opportunity cost: During this time, IT is NOT working on :
- Office 365 migration
- Cybersecurity
- Strategic business projects
- User support
Time-consuming tasks
Top 5 repetitive tasks :
- Storage management (30% of time)
- Disk capacity monitoring
- Volume expansion (purchase, installation)
- Cleaning old archives
- Updates (25% of time)
- Server OS (security patches)
- Archiving software (new versions)
- Post-update testing (rollback if problem)
- Backups (20% of the time)
- Daily backup check
- Monthly catering tests
- External tape/disc management
- User support (15% of time)
- “I can’t find my email”
- “Archiving is slow”
- New employee training
- Monitoring/incidents (10% of time)
- Server alerts (CPU, RAM, disk)
- Hardware failures
- Performance diagnostics
The modern solution
- ✅ 0 hours maintenance (all automated)
- ✅ Transparent updates (without interruption)
- ✅ 2 4/7 monitoring by Proofpoint teams
- ✅ Support included (24/7, multilingual)
- ✅ Automatic scalability (no storage management)
Immediate ROI: CHF 8,000-80,000/year saved.
At last, your IT can concentrate on strategic projects.
Sign 7: Impossible to scaler (growth blocked)
The symptom
Your business is growing, but your archiving isn’t keeping up:
- Acquisition of another company → impossible to integrate their 500,000 emails quickly
- Branch opening → need to buy new servers (CHF 20’000-40’000)
- Strong seasonality → compulsory over-sizing for peak (wastage cost off-peak)
On-premise structural limitations
Rapid growth scenario :
| Situation | On-premise solution | Cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30+ employees | Server + storage purchase | CHF 15’000-25’000 | 6-8 weeks |
| +100 GB emails/month | Disk bay extension | CHF 5’000-12’000 | 3-4 weeks |
| Merge with company | Complete infrastructure | CHF 45’000-80’000 | 3-4 months |
Consequence: Growth held back by IT constraints.
Mandatory oversizing :
- You’re buying for 100 users when you have 50 (3-5 year forecast).
- Waste: CHF 20,000-40,000 invested too soon
- Risk of obsolescence before full use
Real-life case: blocked growth
SME professional services, Geneva :
“We went from 35 to 85 employees in 18 months (acquisitions + organic growth). Our on-premise archiving server was saturated. Extension: CHF 28,000 + 6 weeks lead time.
Meanwhile, faulty archiving = compliance risk. Proofpoint Archive cloud migration: +50 licenses added in 10 minutes, CHF 900/month extra.”
The modern solution
- ✅ Instant scalability: +100 users in 5 minutes
- ✅ Elasticity: rise AND fall possible (seasonality)
- ✅ No oversizing: you only pay for actual usage
- ✅ Merger/acquisition: immediate integration (automated bulk import)
- ✅ Unlimited storage: no volume constraints
Your growth is no longer limited by IT.
Sign 8: Your system is over 5 years old
The symptom
Your archiving solution dates from 2019 or earlier:
- Physical servers purchased 5-7 years ago
- OS not supported (Windows Server 2012/2016 end-of-life)
- Outdated archiving software (MailStore 9, Barracuda 2018…)
Accelerated obsolescence
Hardware life cycle :
- Year 1-3: Optimum performance
- Year 4-5: Gradual degradation (disks, fans)
- Year 6+: Frequent breakdowns, unavailable parts, wasted energy
Software life cycle :
- Publisher support: usually 5 years after major release
- After end-of-life: no more security patches = critical vulnerabilities
Concrete risks
Safety :
- ❌ Unpatched vulnerabilities = open door ransomware
- ❌ Obsolete encryption (TLS 1.0/1.1 → incompatible with modern clients)
- ❌ No MFA (multi-factor authentication)
Performance:
- ❌ Search 10-20x slower than modern solutions
- ❌ No OCR on attachments
- ❌ Outdated interface (2010 ergonomics)
Compatibility :
- ❌ No Office 365 / Teams / Slack connectors
- ❌ No modern API (impossible to integrate other tools)
- ❌ Mobile non-existent or non-functional
Cost of delayed migration
Case study – SME with 75 employees, Bern :
“Archive server from 2017. In 2024: RAID disk failure → 3 days offline → CHF 15,000 urgent repair + CHF 8,000 data partially lost (failed backups). With these CHF 23,000, we could have financed 18 months of Proofpoint Archive cloud.”
Signs that your system is too old
Obsolescence checklist :
- Server purchased before 2020
- OS Windows Server 2016 or earlier / Linux Debian 9 or earlier
- Archiving software version >3 years without major updates
- No native mobile support
- Search >10 seconds on 100’000 emails
- No Office 365 / Teams integration
- Non-responsive interface (not suitable for modern screens)
- HDD disks (not SSD)
More than 4 ticked boxes? Urgent migration recommended.
The modern solution
- ✅ Always up to date: automatic updates with no action required
- ✅ Latest technologies: AI, ML, OCR, cognitive search
- ✅ Continuous security: patches applied immediately
- ✅ Modern interface: 2025 design, responsive, intuitive
- ✅ Compatibility guaranteed: all modern systems (O365, Teams, etc.)
Never obsolete again.
Sign 9: No Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)
The symptom
Ask yourself,“If my servers burn down tonight, how long will it take to restore the archives?“
Typical SME answer:“Uh… we have backups… somewhere… I think…“.
Disastrous statistics
According to Gartner 2024:
- 60% of SMEs do NOT have a tested DRP
- 75% of backups are never tested (discovery that they are corrupted when disaster strikes)
- Average RTO SME without PRA: 72 hours to 2 weeks
- 40% of SMEs close within 12 months of major data loss
What is a true DRP?
Essential components :
- Backup site (redundant infrastructure ≥50 km)
- Real-time (or near-real-time, RPO <1h) replication
- Regular testing (at least 2x/year)
- Documented procedures (who does what, in what order)
- Contractual RTO (Recovery Time Objective)
On-premise PRA cost: CHF 30,000-60,000/year (doubling infrastructure + maintenance)
Reality: Very few SMEs have a real DRP. At best, daily backups on external disks in the same office (= same risk of fire/theft).
Nightmare scenarios (real-life)
Case 1 – Fire, Valais, 2023 :
“Fire in office building. Servers destroyed. Backups on NAS… in same office. Total loss of 8 years of archives. Non-compliance noted at next audit. Fine + partial reconstitution obligation: CHF 180’000.”
Case 2 – Ransomware, Zürich, 2024:
“Ransomware encrypts servers + network backups (permanently connected). 3 weeks offline. Ransom demanded: CHF 85,000. Not paid. Lost 5 years emails. Litigation lost for lack of evidence: CHF 220,000.”
The modern solution
- ✅ PRA included: automatic replication 3+ datacenters (multi-country)
- ✅ Guaranteed RTO < 4h (contractual SLA with penalties)
- ✅ RPO < 1h (maximum loss 1h emails in case of extreme incident)
- ✅ Quarterly tests by Proofpoint (third-party certification)
- ✅ Automatic switchover (no action required)
- ✅ 99.9% availability: max 8h downtime/year
Cost: included in the subscription. No additional investment.
Sign 10: You’ve been putting off migration for the past 2 years.
The symptom
You KNOW that your current solution is problematic, but :
- “We’ll see about that next year“.
- “No time to manage a migration project“.
- “It still works… pretty much…“
The cost of inaction
Procrastination = money lost:
| Lead time | Cumulative cost |
|---|---|
| Now | CHF 0 (start saving) |
| +6 months | CHF 6’000-15’000 (wasted maintenance) |
| +12 months | CHF 12’000-30’000 + incident risk |
| +24 months | CHF 24’000-60’000 + aggravated obsolescence |
Not to mention :
- Continuous loss of productivity (slow searches)
- Increasing compliance risk (audits)
- Daily IT stress
Deciphering false excuses
Excuse 1:“Migration will take 6 months”
Reality: modern cloud = 3-7 days (config + historical import + training)
Excuse 2:“It’ll cost a fortune”
Reality: ROI in 8-14 months (maintenance savings + productivity)
Excuse 3:“We’ll lose our data during migration”
Reality: Non-destructive import (old data remains accessible), zero downtime
Excuse 4:“It’s complicated, we don’t have the skills”
Reality: Supplier manages everything (you supervise, no technical execution required)
Excuse 5:“Our current solution does the job”
Reality: If you’re reading this article, it’s NOT doing the job.
The time is NOW
3 reasons to act today:
1. Reinforced regulatory context
- nLPD since September 2023 → increased penalties
- More frequent audits (FINMA, FTA)
- Jurisprudence eDiscovery toughens requirements
2. Mature technology
- Cloud archiving = industry standard (no early-adopter risk)
- Automated migration (easier than ever)
- Lowest prices (strong competition)
3. Your system degrades daily
- Accelerated obsolescence after 5 years
- Risk of breakdown increases exponentially
- Maintenance costs soar
The modern solution
Process migration Proofpoint Archive :
Week 1: Audit + configuration (2-3 days)
Week 2: Automated history import (3-5 days)
Week 3: Testing + user training (2 days)
Go-live: Immediate production, old system in parallel 30 days safety
Total duration: 15-20 days from kick-off to full production.
Proofpoint Archive: the benchmark solution
Why 300+ Swiss SMEs chose Proofpoint
✅ Conformity guaranteed Switzerland
- Automatic CO compliance (10 years)
- nLPD compliant (DPA, encryption)
- Certifications: SEC 17a-4, FINRA, SOC 2, ISO 27001
- Hosted data centers Europe (Switzerland available)
✅ Outstanding performance
- Search < 3 seconds on millions of emails
- Real-time indexing (body + attachments + OCR)
- Modern, intuitive, responsive interface
- Native mobile applications (iOS/Android)
✅ Maximum safety
- 99.9% guaranteed availability (contractual SLA)
- DRP included: 3+ datacenter replication
- AES-256 + TLS 1.3 encryption
- WORM storage (tamper-proof, anti-ransomware)
✅ Ease of use
- 3-7 day turnkey deployment
- Automated migration (PST, Exchange, O365, Gmail)
- 24/7 multilingual support (FR/DE/EN)
- User training included
✅ Transparent pricing
- From CHF 18/user/month
- Unlimited storage included
- No hidden costs (including maintenance and updates)
- Average ROI: 8-14 months
Conclusion: don’t wait until it’s too late
3 key points to remember
1. Your current solution is costing you money Hidden costs (maintenance, IT time, lost productivity) + risks (data loss, non-compliance) = CHF 15’000-80’000/year waste for a typical SME.
2. Migration is quick and easy 3-7 days from start to finish. Automated process, expert support, zero data loss. ROI in 8-14 months.
3. Every day you waste leaves you more exposed Increased obsolescence, risk of breakdown, growing non-compliance, wasted opportunities.
