Abstract: A method for monitoring multiple electronic mail systems includes the steps of: a) configuring an e-mail system polling process on a user's machine; b) polling a number of e-mail systems from the user's machine; c) retrieving data from the e-mail systems concerning mail intended for the user; and d) storing the data on the user's machine in a format that permits the storage and retrieval of data pertaining to the plurality of e-mail systems. The polling can be accomplished in the background while the user is performing other tasks on the computer system. An apparatus for monitoring multiple electronic mail systems includes a digital processor, read/write memory coupled to the digital processor, and at least one external communication channel coupled to the digital processor permitting the digital processor to communicate with a plurality of external electronic mail systems.