---
title: Communications Archive
seoTitle: AI Communications Archive for Regulated Firms
description: Recordkeeping for regulated firms. Retain Microsoft Teams calls and meetings by policy, preserve them under legal hold, and retrieve any record with AI search.
subnav: true
finished: true
---

> [!herorow]
> Communications Archive
>
> # Communications recordkeeping *for regulated firms*
>
> Argus Archive retains recorded calls and meetings under your retention policies, preserves them under legal hold, and retrieves any record on request, with every access in the audit trail.
>
> [Get a demo](/request-a-demo/) [See pricing](/pricing/)
>
> ![A recorded meeting playing back in Argus Archive, with its video and screen share, speaker-labeled transcript, AI summary and keywords](/media/uploads/2026/10/29-meeting-transcript.jpg)

> [!tabs]
> Capabilities
>
> ## Recordkeeping from retention to production
>
> ![Argus Archive retention settings](/media/uploads/2026/10/10-retention-policy.jpg)
>
> ### Retention and hold
>
> Each record is kept for the period your policy sets, then deleted on schedule.
>
> #### Periods by policy
>
> Set retention by user, call type and content, from one day to 10 years.
>
> #### Legal hold
>
> A case's legal hold stops deletion until it is released.
>
> ![Argus Archive conversation search: a week of external and internal meetings, internal calls and call queues, with tags](/media/uploads/2026/10/28-conversation-search.jpg)
>
> ### Search and replay
>
> Find any record by participant, date, metadata or what was said.
>
> #### Search by meaning
>
> Find calls by what was meant as well as the exact words.
>
> #### Synchronized replay
>
> Audio, video, screen share and transcript play back together, where captured.
>
> ![Argus AI answering a question across recorded calls, with links to each conversation](/media/uploads/2026/10/02-ai-chat-answer.jpg)
>
> ### AI analysis
>
> Ask Argus AI questions across your records and get answers linked to the calls.
>
> #### Transcripts hosted in the EU
>
> Speaker-labeled transcripts from frontier AI models hosted in the EU.
>
> #### Alerts on every call
>
> Your rules check each call as soon as it ends, or live with the Real-time add-on, and file matches into a case.
>
> ![Argus Archive search results with the buttons to export a search and its calls](/media/uploads/2026/10/11-call-queue-search.jpg)
>
> ### Export and audit
>
> Produce records and their transcripts when a regulator or court asks.
>
> #### Export
>
> Download a call's recording and transcript, or export the details of a search.
>
> #### Audit trail
>
> Every view and change to a record is logged.

> [!pillars]
> More
>
> ## Do more with your records
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-phone-calls.png)
>
> ### Flag risk during or right after the call
> Rules check calls as soon as they end, or live with the Real-time add-on, and alert the right reviewer.
>
> [Learn more](/product/real-time-analytics/)
>
> ![](/assets/icons/comprec-icon-enforced-by-policy.png)
>
> ### Write rules in plain language
> Describe what to look for, test it on past calls, and assign it to the people it covers.
>
> [Learn more](/product/ai-workflows/)
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-case.png)
>
> ### Build a case
> Gather the calls for an investigation or request, place them on legal hold, and export them.
>
> Learn more
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-summary.png)
>
> ### Read instead of listening
> Speaker-labeled transcripts and summaries for every recorded call.
>
> [Learn more](/product/speech-to-text-transcription/)

> [!security]
> Security
>
> ## Records kept secure
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-encrypted.png)
>
> ### Encrypted
>
> Encrypted in transit and at rest, with recordings protected by a per-customer key stored in Azure Key Vault by default.
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-data-separate.png)
>
> ### Data isolation
>
> Strict data segregation: each customer's data is held in its own database and storage container, never shared or mixed with another customer's.
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-sign-in.png)
>
> ### Entra ID authentication
>
> Authentication with Microsoft Entra ID, so your MFA and Conditional Access policies apply.
>
> ![](/assets/icons/comprec-icon-role-access.png)
>
> ### Access by role
>
> People see only the records their role and groups allow.
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-audit-history.png)
>
> ### Audit trail
>
> A clear chain of custody for every record, from capture to deletion.
>
> ![](/assets/icons/callrec-icon-eu.png)
>
> ### Data residency
>
> Records are processed and stored on Microsoft Azure in the European Union, with more regions to follow.

> [!faq]
> FAQ
>
> ## Frequently asked questions
>
> Still have questions? Ask the team that built it.
>
> [Talk to us](/contact/)
>
> ### What is a communications archive?
> A communications archive captures, stores and manages business communications in one central platform, so organizations can retain, search, replay and retrieve them for compliance, investigations and eDiscovery.
>
> ### How long can records be kept?
> Each retention policy sets a period from one day to 10 years. A legal hold keeps records past their period until it is released.
>
> ### How quickly can a record be retrieved?
> In seconds. Authorized users search by words, meaning, participant or metadata, then replay the result.
>
> ### Which regulations does it help with?
> Recordkeeping rules such as MiFID II, the FCA's rules, FINRA and SEC recordkeeping, and GDPR. Check your own obligations with your compliance advisers.
>
> ### Do we need to run any servers?
> No. Argus Archive is a cloud service on Microsoft Azure, and people sign in with their Microsoft work account.
>
> ### How much does it cost?
> Argus Archive is priced per user, per month, with usage included, and you're warned before you go over.
>
> [See pricing](/pricing/)

> [!articles]
> Articles
>
> ## Worth reading
>
> Recordkeeping enforcement and keeping voice records readable for years.
>
> - /blog/the-secs-63-million-reminder-recordkeeping-failures-are-still-widespread/
> - /blog/when-recordkeeping-fails-what-a-major-cftc-enforcement-action-means-for-compliance-teams/
> - /blog/long-term-archiving-of-voice-and-video-choosing-formats-that-remain-accessible-independent-and-sustainable/