Let's start with a little history and a file type that most people are familiar with - PST's!
Personal Storage Table (PST) files have been a staple of Microsoft Outlook since the mid-1990s (and the bane of every IT tech for about as long). These files were designed to allow users to offload emails from (often) overloaded mail servers, bypass mailbox quotas and store messages locally for offline access (when dial-up was a thing).
This approach made sense in an era where server storage was expensive and slow internet connections were the norm. Thankfully, the world has changed dramatically since then, however, PST's are still haunting us all!
Despite their longevity, PST files are now a liability for businesses the world over. Here’s why:
Corruption and Data Loss: PSTs are notoriously prone to corruption, especially as they grow in size (Microsoft refuse to provide support if they grow over 2GB in size!) or are accessed over networks. PST files routinely become unreadable - often resulting in permanent data loss.
Compliance Nightmares: PSTs are generally stored in scattered, hard to track locations (like personal folders, temp directories or even on USB thumb drives). They often contain sensitive or regulated data, or even email from previous privileged staff members. The contents of a PST file is virtually invisible to compliance tools, making eDiscovery and legal holds nearly impossible without significant effort and expense.
Security Risks: PSTs can be easily copied, lost, stolen or even worse, uploaded to public file services. Even password-protected files are vulnerable to hacking, as demonstrated in a number of high-profile breaches.
Operational Overhead: Managing, backing up, and restoring PSTs is time-consuming and unreliable. Due to their internal structure and large size they are rarely included in regular backups, and restoring them is a manual, error-prone and VERY time-consuming process.
Storage Bloat: Multiple copies of the same PSTs often exist across devices, consuming excessive storage and increasing risk. Further, PSTs are not able to de-duplicate individual email messages likely resulting in multiple copies of the same message existing in different PST files.
Like any form of digital content, there are multiple options available to manage the data contained within a PST. A PST file should be thought of as a "wrapper" - it's actually the contents of the file that contain the value, rather than the file itself. Lets explore the options and the pros and cons that need consideration:
| Option | Pros | Cons |
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PST Files on local or External Storage |
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PST Files on File Servers or Network Drives
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PST Files on DVDs or Offline Media |
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On-Premises Email Archiving Solutions |
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Cloud-Based, Immutable, Indexed Email Archiving |
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Business email demands more than just the storage that PSTs can offer—it demands security, compliance, accessibility, and scalability.
An immutable, online, indexed, and searchable email archive, like the solution from Microsolve, is purpose-built for these needs:
“Our email archive platform takes a copy of all email messages BEFORE they even reach your inbox, encrypts, indexes, de-duplicates them, and stores them in an immutable (un-changeable!) archive within the AWS cloud.”
If your business still relies on PSTs for long-term email storage, it’s time to move forward. An immutable, online, indexed, and searchable email archive is the only option that truly meets the demands of compliance, security, and business continuity.
Solutions like Microsolve’s not only eliminate the risks of legacy storage but also empower your business to grow, adapt, and thrive.