Industry · Tax advisory

Email archivingfor tax advisorsand law firms.

Client communication and documents are subject to strict retention obligations. Conbool Archive stores every business email audit-proof under § 147 AO, preserves client confidentiality and runs in EU data centers – as a cloud or fully on-premises.

Email archiving for tax advisors and law firms

Audit-proof archiving of client communication to the requirements of tax advisory.

Why firms must archive.

6–10 yrs
retention for documents and business letters
§ 147
AO as the legal basis for tax records
§ 203
StGB: preserve client confidentiality
GoBD
immutability and audit readiness

What matters in the firm

Three points that count especially for tax advisors and lawyers.

Audit readiness under § 147 AO

Every client email and document stored immutably, with an automatic period and end-to-end proof for the tax audit.

Client confidentiality

Encrypted client communication stays protected. Access is controlled, with dual control for sensitive releases and an activatable access log.

German vendor

EU data centers, a German contracting party and a data location named in the DPA – a must for firms with high confidentiality requirements.

Everything firm archiving needs

From capture to the tax audit.

Complete capture

Inbound and outbound as well as internal client communication, directly in the mail flow or via journaling from Microsoft 365.

Automatic periods

Retention classes under commercial and tax law, rule-based per mailbox or department, with logged deletion after expiry.

Audit-proof (WORM)

Immutable storage, in the compliance tier with object lock, secured by an externally anchored hash chain.

Fast research

Full-text search over subject, content and attachments – including encrypted client mail the gateway decrypts.

Controlled release

eDiscovery with cases, holds and dual control – for requests from clients, courts or the tax audit.

Adopt legacy data

Ingest existing archives from PST, MBOX and EML server-side, integrity proof via SHA-256.

Why Conbool for firms

Four reasons that tip the balance for tax advisory.

EU sovereignty, not a US group

A German contracting party and EU data centers. With high confidentiality, a real difference from vendors with a US or Canadian parent.

Encrypted mail searchable

Gateway-decrypted S/MIME and PGP client mail is additionally archived in searchable cleartext – the original stays encrypted in the mailbox.

Internal mail complete

Internal team coordination is captured via journaling too, not just client traffic.

Cloud or on-premises

The same solution in the EU cloud or in-house – the firm decides, without changing the architecture.

Ready in three steps

1

1. Connect

Connect Microsoft 365 via a journal rule or the gateway. Capture starts without interfering with delivery.

2

2. Set periods

Define a default period and rules under commercial and tax law. New client mail automatically gets the right class.

3

3. Adopt legacy data

Import existing archives, verify completeness, replace the old solution.

FAQ

Must tax advisors archive emails?
Yes. Emails relevant under tax and commercial law – client documents, business letters, invoices – are subject to retention under § 147 AO and § 257 HGB, with GoBD requirements for immutability and traceability.
How long do the periods apply?
6 years for business letters, 8 years for accounting documents (since 2025), 10 years for books and financial statements. The period starts at the end of the calendar year of origin.
Is client confidentiality preserved?
Yes. Access is controlled and can be documented via an activatable access log; sensitive releases can require approval by a second person. Encrypted client mail stays in the mailbox as ciphertext.
Does it work with DATEV processes?
Conbool Archive archives email communication audit-proof, complementing DMS and firm software. For the specific integration into your firm's processes, we advise individually.
Cloud or own server?
Both. Conbool Archive runs as an EU cloud or fully on-premises from the same codebase – matching the firm's confidentiality and IT requirements.
How fast is rollout?
Connecting via a journal rule or gateway is done quickly; capture starts immediately. Legacy data is imported in parallel.

Firm archiving that passes the audit.

Conbool Archive: audit-proof under § 147 AO, EU hosting, client confidentiality preserved. Shown in your firm in 30 minutes.