Email Retention and Backup Policy

This policy outlines the terms and conditions for email retention and backup services provided by Jenny Internet. It applies to all customers using POP or IMAP email protocols.

1. Mailbox Deletion Policy

  • If a mailbox remains inactive for more than 26 weeks (approximately 6 months), it will be automatically deleted. This applies to both POP and IMAP email setups. It is the customer’s responsibility to regularly access and maintain their mailbox to prevent deletion.

2. Email Retention

  • POP Users: Emails are downloaded to your device and removed from our servers once accessed. We do not retain a copy of emails downloaded via POP beyond this point.
  • IMAP Users: Emails are stored on our servers to allow access across multiple devices. However, we will retain emails for a maximum of 1 year. Customers are responsible for backing up any emails they wish to retain beyond this period.

3. Customer Responsibility

Regardless of whether customers use POP or IMAP, it is the customer’s sole responsibility to ensure that their emails are regularly backed up. Our backup services are intended solely for emergency recovery purposes, not for long-term storage or daily data management.

Customers should not rely on our backups as the sole copy of their data. We strongly advise implementing regular, independent backups to avoid any potential data loss.

4. Backup Retention and Recovery

Our backups are kept for a maximum of 2 weeks. After this period, they are replaced with the most recent backup version. Our backup service includes:

  • The user’s home directory, which covers website content, web logs, and any mail that was on the server when the backup was taken.

  • MySQL databases related to your website or email services.

Please note: Any emails arriving after the backup of emails downloaded via POP prior to the next backup cycle will not be included in the backup.

5. Backup Process

5.1 How to Upload or Download a Website

To download (backup your site):

  • Use FTP software (e.g., FileZilla) to connect to your hosting server.
  • Download all website files from the public_html folder to your local computer.
  • To upload a website:
  • Use FTP to upload files to the public_html folder.
  • Ensure your domain is pointing to the correct hosting server.


How to Upload or Download a Website
 

5.2 How to Create a Backup of Your Website

  • File Backup: Download website files via FTP or use cPanel File Manager to zip and download them.
  • Database Backup: Use phpMyAdmin (see step 5) to export your database.
  • Store backups securely on your local machine or a cloud storage service.

How to create a backup of your website
 

5.3 How to Import a PST File (Email Backup)

Step 1: Open Outlook and Start the Import Process

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
  2. Click on File in the top menu.
  3. Select Open & Export, then click Import/Export.

Step 2: Select PST File to Import

  1. In the Import/Export Wizard, choose Import from another program or file, then click Next.
  2. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
  3. Click Browse and locate the PST file you want to import.
  4. Choose an option for duplicates:
    • Replace duplicates (if needed).
    • Allow duplicates (if you want to keep both).
    • Do not import duplicates (if you want only new data).
  5. Click Next.

Step 3: Choose Where to Import the Data

  1. Select the mailbox or folder where you want to import the data.
    • If importing into an email account, select the account.
    • If importing into a specific folder, choose the destination folder.
  2. Click Finish to begin importing the PST file.


Step 4: Wait for the Import to Complete

  1. Depending on the file size, this may take a few minutes.
  2. Once complete, all imported emails, contacts, and calendar entries will appear in your Outlook folders.
     

5.4 How to Backup or Download Mail from the Server

  • Use an email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.) to download emails via POP3.
  • In Outlook, export your mailbox as a PST file via File > Open & Export > Export to a File.
  • Some webmail interfaces also allow mailbox backups via settings.

How to backup mail or download mail from the server


How to back up emails up via Outlook


How to Import Backed up Emails

5.5 How to Export a MySQL Database via phpMyAdmin

  • Log into cPanel or your hosting control panel.
  • Open phpMyAdmin and select your database.
  • Click Export, choose Quick format, and click Go to download the SQL file.
  • Store the SQL file safely as a backup.


How to export a MySQL database via phpMyAdmin
 

6. Liability Disclaimer

  • Jenny Internet is not responsible for any loss of data. 
  • IMAP users: We will only keep a maximum of 1 year’s worth of emails on our server. It is the customer’s responsibility to back up older emails if needed.
  • POP users: No emails will be retained on the server once downloaded. Regular backups of email data are the sole responsibility of the user.

     - Why Automation is Not Possible

We have explored options for automating the email deletion and backup process, but due to limitations with our current infrastructure and provider (Xneelo), we are unable to implement automation. Xneelo does not provide an API that would allow us to automate the management of email data in real-time, such as triggering automatic deletions or setting custom retention rules based on mailbox activity.

Without API access, our systems cannot interact programmatically with the email server to enforce specific rules like auto-deleting inactive mailboxes or automatically managing backups beyond their standard settings. As a result, these tasks must be handled manually, which places a responsibility on both us and our customers to manage and maintain email accounts within the specified limits.

Rationale Behind the Policy

Given the manual nature of the process, this policy is designed to balance operational efficiency, customer needs, and data protection:

  1. Mailbox Deletion After 26 Weeks: The decision to delete mailboxes after 26 weeks of inactivity ensures that unused mailboxes do not take up server resources indefinitely. By defining this timeframe, we are able to maintain server performance while giving customers a reasonable amount of time to manage their accounts.
  2. Email Retention for 1 Year: The retention of emails on the server for 1 year for IMAP users is a compromise between allowing customers to store their emails for reference and reducing the burden on our storage systems. This period ensures that important emails are available while encouraging users to back up their data before it reaches the 1-year limit.
  3. Backup Policy for Emergency Use Only: Our backup system is designed for emergency recovery, not for long-term storage or archival purposes. Backups are kept for 2 weeks to ensure that if a disaster occurs, we can restore recent data. Customers should not rely on our backups as their only data protection method, which is why we strongly encourage them to make their own regular backups.
  4. IMAP vs. POP Customer Concerns: Some customers, particularly those using IMAP, rely on server-stored emails to access their messages across multiple devices. Switching to POP, which removes emails from the server once downloaded, is not practical for these users due to organizational requirements or multi-device access. However, the manual limitations of our system mean we cannot offer long-term email storage beyond 1 year, and customers must take responsibility for archiving older emails themselves.

This policy reflects the best possible balance between the technical limitations of our infrastructure and the needs of our customers. It ensures efficient management of server resources while providing clarity to customers about their responsibilities in managing and backing up their own data.