Backing up Gmail account with Apple Mail

Hello,

Maybe a rookie question, however my company is going through a transition currently and we may lose our current gmail accounts completely. We need to backup our email accounts somehow, so that way even if our current gmail account is permanently deactivated we can still access these old emails.

Will simply linking up my current gmail based company account to apple mail do this? I need to be able to access these old emails for at least 6-12 months after our accounts are deleted.

I have configured everything correctly on Apple Mail (via IMAP) and all of my emails are on there currently. So, theoretically, if my account was deleted tomorrow, would I be able to access all my 'old' gmail-based work emails from Apple Mail?

Thanks!