6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the analysis comprises an identification of patterns in the data.
1. An apparatus comprising: a data storage system associated with a provider entity and storing data on behalf of a client entity, the data being accessible from the data storage system by the client entity; a data interface enabling access by the provider entity to the data of the data storage system; and an analysis engine comprising a processor and memory maintained by the provider entity to, at discrete intervals determined by the analysis engine: access the data using the data interface, identify, among the data, electronic communications at least some of which each include data identifying a sender or a receiver, the sender or receiver being an individual associated with the client entity, analyze the data, including: identifying one or more words or phrases that occur in one or more of the electronic communications and meet a threshold frequency of occurrence, and comparing the identified words or phrases to one or more words or phrases occurring in electronic communications analyzed by the analysis engine at multiple previous discrete intervals, and at times determined based on the results of the analysis and the user's preferences for receiving information, generate results of the analysis to the client entity, the results indicating a characteristic of at least one of the individuals associated with the client entity, the characteristic being related to at least one of the identified words or phrases.