Described is a system and method in which the account settings for managing (e.g., sending and receiving) data are maintained in association with the managed data, such that the account settings and data remain unified yet are independent of any computing device. In one electronic mail application implementation, the mail message data and the account settings are maintained in a common store of a same storage volume that is independent of the device, such as on a removable memory card. When a user connects the volume such as by inserting the card, the device automatically reads the email account settings, which are then used to properly receive or send any corresponding messages. Because the account settings are maintained in the same store with any related content (e.g., message) data, the settings and related data thus travel with the user/card when moved to another device.