Piler vs Microsoft 365 Archiving
Professional archiving vs basic retention. Know the difference.
M365 Retention Is Not Email Archiving
Microsoft 365 includes basic retention and compliance features, but they're designed for Microsoft's ecosystem and come with significant limitations. For organizations with serious compliance requirements, hybrid environments, or data sovereignty needs, a dedicated archiving solution makes more sense.
Microsoft 365
- ❌Microsoft ecosystem only
- ❌Archive features require E3/E5 licenses
- ❌Data stored on Microsoft's infrastructure
- ❌Complex retention policies across workloads
- ❌eDiscovery Premium requires additional licensing
- ❌Users can delete emails before retention applies
- ❌No archive for non-Microsoft email
Piler Enterprise
- ✅Works with any email system
- ✅All features included in every license
- ✅Your infrastructure, your control
- ✅Simple, unified retention policies
- ✅Full eDiscovery and legal hold included
- ✅Immutable archive - users can't delete
- ✅Archive M365, Google, on-prem, and more
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Microsoft 365 | Piler Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Email Sources | Microsoft 365 only | Any SMTP source |
| Data Location | Microsoft datacenters | Any cloud or on-premise |
| Archive Licensing | E3/E5 required (or add-on) | Included in all licenses |
| eDiscovery | Basic (Premium costs extra) | Full eDiscovery included |
| Legal Hold | Yes (E3/E5) | Yes |
| Immutable Archive | Partial (users can delete before hold) | Yes (captured at SMTP level) |
| Full-Text Search | Yes | Yes (sub-200ms) |
| AI/Semantic Search | Copilot (additional cost) | Yes (on-premise ML and LLM) |
| Sensitive Data Detection | DLP (E5 or add-on) | Built-in Smart Insights |
| Export Formats | PST, EML | EML |
| Archive Non-Microsoft Email | No | Yes |
| Self-Hosted Option | No | Yes |
| Multi-Tenant (MSPs) | Partner Center (complex) | Yes (built-in) |
| Retention Policy Complexity | High (multiple workloads) | Simple (email-focused) |
Why M365 Retention Falls Short
🔓 Not Truly Immutable
M365 retention policies work on content that's already in mailboxes. If a user deletes an email before retention policies catch it, or before a litigation hold is applied, that email may be gone.
Piler captures emails at the SMTP level via journaling - before they even reach the user's mailbox. Users cannot delete what they never controlled.
💸 License Complexity
M365 archiving features are spread across license tiers. Basic retention needs E3. Advanced eDiscovery needs E5 or add-ons. DLP needs additional licensing. Costs add up quickly.
Piler includes all archiving, eDiscovery, legal hold, and sensitive data detection features in every license. No feature gating.
🌍 Data Sovereignty Limits
M365 Multi-Geo helps with data residency, but it's an expensive add-on and you're still on Microsoft's infrastructure. Some regulations require data on your own systems.
Piler runs on your infrastructure - on-premise, private cloud, or any provider you choose. Complete control over where your data lives.
🔄 Hybrid Environment Gaps
Most organizations don't run pure M365. Legacy Exchange, acquired companies, departments using Google Workspace - M365 won't archive any of it.
Piler archives from any SMTP source. One unified archive for M365, Google Workspace, on-premise Exchange, and any other email system.
When Piler Makes More Sense
Compliance-First Organizations
Healthcare (HIPAA), finance (SEC/FINRA), legal firms - where email retention isn't optional and true immutability is required for audits and litigation.
Hybrid Email Environments
Organizations running M365 alongside on-premise Exchange, Google Workspace, or other email systems. One archive for everything.
EU/GDPR Data Residency
Organizations requiring data to stay within specific jurisdictions, on their own infrastructure, not on US cloud provider systems.
M&A / Acquisitions
Acquired companies with different email platforms? Import their historical archives without forcing everyone onto M365.
MSPs / Multi-Tenant
Managed service providers archiving for multiple clients across different email platforms. Piler's multi-tenant architecture is built for this.
M365 E1/Business Users
On M365 E1 or Business plans without archiving features? Add Piler instead of upgrading everyone to E3/E5.
Piler + Microsoft 365
You don't have to choose. Run Piler alongside M365 for professional archiving.
Configure M365 Journaling
Set up journal rules in Exchange Online to send copies of all emails to Piler
Deploy Piler
Set up Piler on your infrastructure (Docker deployment takes minutes)
Import Historical Data (Optional)
Export historical emails from M365 and import into Piler for a complete archive
Unified Archive
All M365 emails now archived with true immutability, full eDiscovery, and AI-powered search
Professional Archiving for M365 Users
Try Piler Enterprise Edition free for 30 days. See why M365 users add dedicated archiving.