Email archiving is no longer optional. With South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in full effect and global regulations tightening, every business must ensure that emails are stored securely, remain tamper-proof, and can be retrieved on demand. Two of the most widely considered solutions are Cryoserver and Mimecast — but while both tick the compliance box, they are not equal in flexibility, cost, or performance.
At Robinson Distribution, we have supplied Cryoserver email archiving to organisations across South Africa and Africa for years. In this post we break down exactly how Cryoserver compares to Mimecast, and why for many businesses — especially those needing on-premise control or MSP-delivered services — Cryoserver is the stronger choice.
What Is Email Archiving and Why Does It Matter for POPIA?
Email archiving automatically captures a copy of every inbound, outbound, and internal email into a secure, indexed, tamper-evident repository. Unlike a standard backup, an archive is searchable in real time, legally defensible, and built to satisfy compliance and e-discovery demands.
Under POPIA, South African businesses are required to store personal information securely, limit retention to what is necessary, and be able to produce records on request. A robust email archive directly supports all three obligations — and the consequences of non-compliance include fines of up to R10 million or 10 years' imprisonment for responsible parties.
Both Cryoserver and Mimecast claim to meet these requirements. The difference lies in how they deliver — and at what cost.
Cryoserver vs Mimecast: Feature Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | Mimecast | Cryoserver ✅ |
|---|---|---|
| Search Speed | ❌ ~7 seconds | ✅ 2–3 seconds |
| Pricing | ❌ Premium / enterprise-tier | ✅ Low to moderate |
| Deployment Options | ❌ Cloud / SaaS only | ✅ Cloud, SaaS, On-Premise, Hybrid |
| Desktop & Mobile Apps | ❌ Not available | ✅ Available |
| Live Chat Support | ❌ Not included | ✅ Included |
| Data Export Fees | ❌ High export costs reported | ✅ Low-cost / no export penalty |
| Fuzzy / Phonetic Search | ❌ Standard keyword only | ✅ Finds misspelled / similar words |
| Microsoft 365 Integration | ✅ Full integration | ✅ Full integration |
| Teams / IM Archiving | ✅ Supported | ✅ Teams, Slack & more |
| GDPR / POPIA Compliance | ✅ Supported | ✅ Fully compliant |
| Tamper-Evident Archive | ✅ AES-encrypted, triplicate | ✅ Digital fingerprint per email |
| Legacy PST Import | ⚠ Complex — professional services needed | ✅ Automated tools, de-duplication |
| M365 Licence Cost Saving | ❌ Not highlighted | ✅ Close ex-employee accounts sooner |
7 Key Advantages of Cryoserver Over Mimecast
Significantly Faster Search
When a legal team asks for every email sent to a specific party over the last five years, speed matters. Cryoserver delivers results in 2–3 seconds across five years of archived email. Mimecast's equivalent is around 7 seconds — nearly three times slower. For organisations handling frequent e-discovery requests or subject access requests under POPIA, this difference translates directly into staff time saved.
Lower Cost — Including Data Export
Mimecast is primarily an enterprise product and is priced accordingly. Users on Gartner and G2 consistently flag its cost as a barrier, particularly for mid-sized businesses. Cryoserver's pricing is low to moderate, with one key advantage: data export fees are significantly lower. This matters if you ever need to migrate away, run a legal hold export, or provide regulators with a copy of your archive.
True Deployment Flexibility — Including On-Premise
Mimecast is a cloud/SaaS-only solution. That works for many organisations, but regulated industries — government departments, financial institutions, healthcare providers — often have data sovereignty requirements that prevent email data from being hosted outside their own infrastructure or South African borders. Cryoserver supports all four deployment models: cloud, SaaS, on-premise, and hybrid — and you can switch between them at any time without losing data.
Microsoft 365 Licence Cost Savings
Because Cryoserver holds a full archive of every email, when an employee leaves your organisation you can close their Microsoft 365 account immediately — instead of keeping a paid licence open just to preserve access to their mailbox. For businesses with regular staff turnover, this saving can be substantial over the course of a year.
Fuzzy / Phonetic Search Capability
People misspell names. Clients use nicknames. Cryoserver includes a fuzzy and phonetic search engine that finds emails even when search terms are misspelled or use words that sound similar — something Mimecast's standard keyword search does not offer. For HR investigations, legal disputes, or POPIA subject access requests, this feature dramatically improves retrieval accuracy.
Teams, Slack & Instant Messaging Archiving
Business communication has long moved beyond email. Cryoserver archives Microsoft Teams, Slack, and other IM platforms alongside email — all in one searchable repository. This is critical for POPIA and financial services compliance, where all business communications must be retained regardless of channel.
Excellent MSP & Reseller Programme
For IT service providers and managed service providers (MSPs), Cryoserver offers a dedicated white-label MSP programme — meaning you can deliver Cryoserver as your own branded archiving service to clients, retain customer relationships, and build recurring revenue. Mimecast does not offer the same level of white-label flexibility, making Cryoserver the stronger choice for South African MSPs.
When Does Mimecast Still Make Sense?
We believe in being straightforward: Mimecast is a well-built product with a strong track record. It may be the right choice if:
- You are already deeply embedded in the Mimecast ecosystem for email security and continuity — bundling archiving keeps everything in one vendor.
- Your organisation is cloud-only with no data sovereignty constraints.
- You have a large IT team comfortable managing Mimecast's configuration complexity.
For everyone else — and particularly for South African businesses navigating POPIA, data sovereignty, or cost pressure — Cryoserver deserves serious consideration.
🇿🇦 Robinson Distribution is the authorised South African distributor for Cryoserver. We offer local support, local pricing, and rapid deployment — cloud or on-premise.
Ready to explore Cryoserver for your organisation? Contact our sales team for a quote tailored to your user count and compliance requirements. You can also compare Cryoserver with ArchTitan, our other archiving solution.
Get a Quote →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cryoserver POPIA compliant?
Yes. Cryoserver is designed to meet GDPR requirements, which are closely aligned with South Africa's POPIA. It stores email in a tamper-evident, encrypted archive with full audit trails, role-based access control, and configurable retention periods — all of which directly support POPIA compliance obligations.
Can Cryoserver replace Mimecast for email archiving in South Africa?
Yes. Cryoserver provides all of the core archiving capabilities that Mimecast offers, plus on-premise deployment, faster search, lower pricing, and a white-label MSP option. Robinson Distribution can assist with migration from Mimecast to Cryoserver. Contact us to discuss migration.
Does Cryoserver work with Microsoft 365?
Yes. Cryoserver integrates natively with Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), archiving all inbound, outbound, and internal email. It also allows you to reduce your M365 licence spend by archiving email from ex-employees rather than keeping their mailboxes active.
Is Cryoserver available as a cloud service in South Africa?
Yes. Cryoserver Cloud is available as a fully managed, pay-as-you-go subscription hosted in secure data centres. Robinson Distribution offers local support and billing in South Africa. View the Cryoserver product page for more information.
How long does it take to deploy Cryoserver?
Cryoserver is designed for rapid, plug-and-play deployment. Cloud deployments can be operational within hours. On-premise appliance installations typically take one to two days depending on your environment. Our local South African technical team provides full deployment support.