GUIDE

Secure communications capture for federal agencies

A practical guide to closing the gap between how agencies communicate and how they capture records.

Federal government communications now go far beyond emails. It happens over text, encrypted apps and other communication tools — and agencies can’t afford to miss any of those messages. That shift is straining policies originally designed to manage records, FOIA responses, and communications governance on a single channel.

This guide is for records, security, and compliance leaders evaluating how to capture communications wherever they happen. It breaks down what's driving the pressure, why legacy archiving falls short, and what a modern capture strategy requires.

What you’ll learn

This guide covers:

  • Why mobile and encrypted messaging are straining federal recordkeeping
  • Where legacy archiving approaches create records and FOIA gaps
  • What an effective communications capture strategy requires
  • Questions to ask before evaluating a solution
  • How Smarsh supports federal agencies with FedRAMP-aligned capture

Why this matters

Communications gaps create real exposure for federal agencies.

  • Six in ten agencies report significant growth in public records request volumes
  • 43% report a 21–50% increase in FOIA processing time
  • 56% of agencies remain at moderate or high risk for records management
  • The Federal Records Act and FOIA apply to communications on any channel

Find out what modernizes federal recordkeeping

Federal agencies don't have to choose between mission speed and defensible recordkeeping. Get the guide to see what an effective communications capture strategy requires — and how to evaluate solutions built for how your agency actually communicates.

Download Guide