File System Archiving

Automated Management of File System Content

The widespread use of unstructured electronic files (such as Microsoft® Office, Adobe® PDF, and others) is creating a critical management challenge for organizations. System administrators responsible for protecting and managing unstructured information are facing rapid storage growth and shrinking back-up windows that reduce overall data protection and increase storage costs.

Meanwhile, one of the most common places for end-users to store content is on network file systems. There is a perception of safety – content is stored on a company server, insulated from a desktop hard drive crash – and of central management because the content is not on a personal desktop. But, file systems are not managed content repositories with library services, indexes, and version control. On the contrary, file system content is virtually unmanaged and presents huge challenges to organizations:

• Storage costs soar out of control as high-end production systems grow unfettered with old data and as various users store multiple copies of the same content
• Files corresponding to a specific user role or department are not retained and can be deleted by end-users
• eDiscovery costs are high due to non-indexed content, collection efforts operating in silos, and redundant content processing and review
• Increased risks due to potential sensitive information (e.g. intellectual property, salary data, and patient health data) unknowingly residing on file systems and leaving the company

The chart above, based on an independent survey by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), shows the record types organization have been asked to produce in a legal proceeding or regulatory inquiry

 A Next-Generation Approach to File Systems Archiving

With NearPoint for File System Archiving (FSA), administrators can easily set policy to scan file shares and capture files based on archiving policies. Captured files are indexed and archived and then NearPoint FSA de-duplicates across multiple file shares, as well as across messages and attachments, for global single-instancing across content sources. Thus, NearPoint FSA enables retention/disposition policies of targeted files, and enables search and eDiscovery of files in the corporate environment.

Optionally, files on file shares can be extended by replacing the files with small stub files, so end-users still continue to seamlessly access the files as normal. Extension policies on files are based on such attributes as type, size, and age. NearPoint utilizes advanced stubbing technology to optimize the use of network resources and storage during stub file operation, resulting in significant reduction in expensive production storage.

NearPoint File System Archiving: Features and Benefits

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