Contour and EMC Data Profiling for File System and Exchange Server Environments

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There has been an explosive and seemingly unmanageable growth of information in business today. IT departments feel the frustration when file systems and Exchange servers get congested and backup windows are not met. Everyone in an organization feels the pain when Exchange server performance is slow and strict mailbox and file share quotas have to be enforced. Instead of continuously increasing storage acquisition and trying to extend backup and recovery processes, IT managers should consider implementing a strategy to better manage information growth including reducing the size of their data stores while making sure all information remains readily available to users.

A non-disruptive, time-efficient, and cost-effective way to assess the current state and performance of a business' file servers and Exchange environments is an essential first step. Utilizing intelligent data profiling provides a better understanding of file server and Exchange data, gaining insight into current utilization, growth trends, and opportunities to significantly improve storage and information management infrastructures. Contour's file system and Exchange data profiling offering enables your organization to obtain detailed information about the information that resides on file servers and Exchange servers. Using industry-standard tools, the EMC data profiling analysis will capture and provide detailed information on:

• Server storage utilization
• File system data growth rates
• File last-accessed and last-modified times
• Storage consumption by file extension
• Duplicate files Server .PST files
• E-mail message and attachment aging
• E-mail store growth rates
• E-mail mailbox properties and best-practice violations

How the Contour/EMC Data Profiling Service Works

Contour will schedule an appointment to scan up to a 2 TB of the file system information and/or Exchange servers. This analysis will take as little as an hour without impact to the current environment. Once the scan is completed, Contour/EMC will collect summary results of the scan (no actual data will leave the customer site) for offsite analysis and report generation. Next, Contour experts will group and profile Exchange and file server resources to prepare an analysis package that includes in-depth reports on all of the Exchange and file servers scanned. Finally, Contour will return (usually within five business days) to present the findings and discuss recommendations.

The Benefits of Using This Service

• Better understand the current state and performance of the File server and Exchange environment to implement a plan to improve management and operational performance, while lowering storage costs and reducing backups
• Identify the age and size of files and e-mail content residing on servers-by individual mailbox, by department, or a cumulative view-what types of private, non-business related files are you backing up nightly?
• Understand the extent to which you can reduce your backup windows by archiving files and e-mails, including mitigating risk of not capturing e-mails for recovery purposes-your business will be compliant in e-discovery situations
• Discover how much storage is being consumed by .PST files. Most .PST files include duplicate attachments that haven't been accessed in weeks, months, and years. Why continue to back up unchanging files?
• Improve recovery time by reducing backups and leveraging active archiving solutions that include policy-based data migration
• Realize how much information can be archived to EMC's purpose-built, active archive platform-EMC Centera®-and reclaim e-mail and file server space, while shrinking the costly production environment Make capital expenditure decisions with real, fact-based information and leverage the holistic view that these results provide when considering strategic solutions-not just tactical hardware purchases
• Benefit from results that are presented in a straightforward report that can be shared with key stakeholders to drive consensus on next steps

Example Summary of Key File System Findings
From the sample file system, Customer XYZ's results are based on the overall system scanned:

• 46% (770 GB) archive-able content for files one year old or older (LAST MODIFIED)
• 66% (1100 GB) archive-able content for files 181 days old or older (LAST MODIFIED)
• 33% (530 GB) of data has not been ACCESSED in 180 days or more
• The average growth rate for this mount point over the last three years is 145% from 167 GB in 2003 to 1113 GB in 2005
• Scan discovered 2.2 M files with 452,000 or 560 GB added in 2006 to date.
• The average utilization for all mount points in the scan was 87%.

Example Summary of Key Exchange Findings
From the Exchange servers scanned, CUSTOMER ABC's key metrics are summarized below:

• Overall e-mail storage grew 70% from 293 GB to 498 GB over the past 120 days
• 77% of all e-mails scanned were over 60 days old
• 26% of the overall e-mail storage was consumed by data over 60 days old
• 94% of the overall e-mail storage was consumed by attachments
• The file system analysis found an additional 870 .PSTs totaling 147.48 GB

Take the Next Step

Contour/EMC Data Profiling for Exchange and File Servers is instrumental for optimizing an organization's file system and Exchange environment. Use key findings and guidance from a Contour expert to develop a customized action plan. To request your ESA/FSA please click here.