Email Journaling

Problem Statement: Email Journaling with Postfix Server and Azure Storage

Business Requirements:

1. Compliance: Ensure that all email communications are archived in accordance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, or Sarbanes-Oxley.
2. Data Security: Protect archived emails from unauthorized access and ensure data integrity.
3. Auditability: Provide a robust auditing mechanism to trace and review email communications for compliance and security purposes.
4. Scalability: The solution should handle a growing volume of email traffic as the business expands.
5. Cost Efficiency: Optimize resource usage to minimize costs while maintaining performance and compliance.

Technical Requirements:

1. Postfix Server: Set up a Postfix email server to accept all incoming emails to a specific email address.
2. Email Archiving: Implement email journaling on the Postfix server to capture and save copies of all incoming emails.
3. Data Storage: Use Azure Blob Storage for storing archived emails with redundancy and high availability.
4. Data Encryption: Encrypt emails at rest using Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE) for Blob Storage.
5. Access Control: Implement strict access controls on Azure Blob Storage to ensure that only authorized personnel can access archived emails.
6. Monitoring and Logging: Use Azure Monitor for monitoring and logging access and modifications to archived emails.
7. Data Retention: Define and enforce data retention policies on Azure Blob Storage to comply with regulatory requirements.
8. Disaster Recovery: Set up Azure Backup for regular backups of archived emails in Blob Storage.

Solution Design:

1. Postfix Email Server:
   • Configure a Postfix server to accept all incoming emails to a specific email address.
   • Implement email journaling on the Postfix server to capture copies of incoming emails.
2. Azure Blob Storage:
   • Use Azure Blob Storage to store archived emails with redundancy and high availability.
   • Enable Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE) for Blob Storage to encrypt emails at rest.
3. Access Control:
   • Implement strict access controls on Azure Blob Storage using Azure Active Directory (AAD) to ensure that only authorized personnel can access archived emails.
4. Monitoring and Logging:
   • Use Azure Monitor for monitoring and logging access and modifications to archived emails in Blob Storage.
5. Data Retention Policies:
   • Define and enforce data retention policies on Azure Blob Storage to comply with regulatory requirements.
6. Disaster Recovery:
   • Set up Azure Backup for regular backups of archived emails in Blob Storage to ensure data recovery in case of failure.

Example Architecture Diagram

            ┌───────────────┐
            │  Postfix      │
            │  Email Server │
            └───────┬───────┘
                    │
            ┌───────▼─────────┐
            │ Email Journaling│
            │   (Postfix)     │
            └───────┬─────────┘
                    │
            ┌───────▼───────┐
            │ Azure Blob    │
            │  Storage      │
            └───────┬───────┘
                    │
      ┌─────────────▼──────────────┐
      │     Azure Storage Service  │
      │   Encryption (SSE)         │
      └─────────────┬──────────────┘
                    │
      ┌─────────────▼──────────────┐
      │     Access Control         │
      │     (Azure Active Directory│
      │      & Blob ACLs)          │
      └─────────────┬──────────────┘
                    │
      ┌─────────────▼──────────────┐
      │     Azure Monitor          │
      │   (Monitoring & Logging)   │
      └─────────────┬──────────────┘
                    │
      ┌─────────────▼──────────────┐
      │   Data Retention Policies  │
      │    (Azure Blob Storage)    │
      └─────────────┬──────────────┘
                    │
      ┌─────────────▼──────────────┐
      │      Azure Backup &        │
      │    Disaster Recovery       │
      └────────────────────────────┘