READERS' BEST TIPS

Edited By Maria Medina

Stop Storing Excess Files

Housekeeping Tasks For Disk Space

Web downloads, e-mail attachments, e-commerce transactions and many other types of applications are overcrowding disk storage on desktops and servers. According to Strategic Research, of Santa Barbara, CA, a survey revealed that disk storagedoubles yearly, on average, in large organizations and home offices. The firm, which speciales in storage research, found that the average amount of storage space managed by a system administrator has jumped more than 70% in the last two years. This growth will continue, tripling storage within the next four years.

1. Stop storage squatters. Get control over storage growth. Establish a company policy on space limitations. Create guidelines on what type of files are /are not allowed.

2. Evict old files. Some files just consume large amounts of space, such as, .avi, .mov, .bmp and .pcx extensions. Even evicting the files that come with Windows Office 97 could free up two Mbyte. For example, get rid of fonts you would never use.

3. Remove the trash from the cache. A Web browser’s cache works like a packrat. If you are using Internet Explorer 4.0, go to View/Internet options, and select “delete files” under Temporary Internet Files. For Netscape Navigator 4.0, click on Options/Network Preferences and select Clear Disk Cache Now.

4. Get rid of installation files. These files usually appear as _msstartup after you install a program. To zero in on them, search by ~*.*, _*.*, ??_, or *.??~. Back up files before you delete them. Chances are you’ve turned up leftovers.

5. Invest in software. Storage monitoring software keeps track of space. Use it to police housekeeping practices so employees are not exceeding their storage allotment.

Rob Infantino is founder of Astrum Software (www.astrumsoftware.com), a private start-up company specializing in storage data management.

Learn to Sort Data and Make Sense of Files

Learning to break down the hierarchical structure of business projects is critical to success with any document management system. Whether you use a traditional database cataloging approach or a visual file tree method, learn to categorize and sort documents.

1. Break down each project/product looking for a natural hierarchy. Sketch out a cascading series of categories. This will help you sort documents.

2. Create mental folders for document sub-categories. Test the structure for the best fit with workgroups who need to access and share information,

3. Forget filenames — no one will remember the actual document filenames. Rely on keywords or common sense alias terms for file tree layers.

4. Pick the right tool for the job. Use software matched to the PC skill level of the individuals who will use it to organize, access and share the documents. Teams closest to the work strive for the fastest implementation. Turn them loose and watch your files fly.

Michael Okner is vice president of marketing and sales at Kruse (www.kwise.com), developers of network file sharing software.

Migrate & Manage Data With An HSM Solution

Did you know that 80% of the data on corporate servers is at least six months old? The combination of shrinking backup windows and the explosion of data on a typical network server presents IT administrators with the difficult task of managing and protecting that data, while still making it available to users.

1. Use a heterogeneous hierarchical storage management (HSM) solution. That way, inactive data will be migrated from online storage, such as disk drives, to near-line devices, such as optical drives, then finally to archival storage resources, such as tape devices. This provides seamless access to infrequently used data while scaling to meet access requirements for terabytes of data on demand.

2. Design an overall backup and disaster strategy. A major factor in the success of an HSM solution is implementation, whether in-house or off-site. Protecting data is key, so choose a method that is cost-effective and fits your needs.

3. Develop a data migration strategy. Transfer data directly out of applications, such as email, where most of corporate data is generated.

An HSM solution is ideal for companies with increasing amounts of on-line data, such as banks, insurance companies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, gas and oil companies and multimedia departments with high-quality visual images, sound and graphics.

Jeff Dresher is Product Line Manager at Veritas Software (www.veritas.com).