What to Tell a Developer When You Need a GDPR Compliant Email Server

When you need a GDPR-compliant email server, your developer or agency needs clear requirements. Here’s what to tell them so you get a design that supports compliance.

Say: “Personal data in email must be processed only in the EU (or in a country with an adequacy decision).” They should host the server (or choose a provider) accordingly and document where data lives. If you have a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) or standard contractual clauses, share them so they can align.

Say: “We need a defined retention period (e.g. 90 days, 2 years) and a way to delete or anonymise data when the retention period ends or when we get a request.” The developer should build or configure retention and deletion (e.g. per mailbox or per domain) and document how it works. Support for data subject requests (access, erasure, portability) should be part of the design.

Say: “Only authorised people should have access to mail and logs. We need access logs and a way to revoke access.” They should implement role-based access, strong auth, encryption in transit and at rest, and logging of admin actions. Document who can access what and how you’ll respond to a breach.

Say: “We need documentation of technical and organisational measures for our records and for auditors.” They should provide a short document describing architecture, retention, access, and security. If they’re a processor, they should sign a DPA that covers subprocessors, audits, and incident notification.

Put the above in a short brief or email so the developer has a clear checklist. Agencies that do this often (e.g. Hendoi for US, Canada, and EU-facing clients) will know what to build. Hendoi Technologies designs and runs GDPR-aware private mail. Free consultation.

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