GFT inboxx eases file server archiving

Files that are rarely used could be moved onto less expensive storage media

Unified archiving specialist GFT inboxx has expanded its portfolio of products with a file server archiving component dubbed 'inboxx file'.

The new system brings improved tiered storage to file servers, allowing files that are rarely or no longer used to be moved off more expensive tier-one storage and onto alternative, less expensive storage media.

The company claimed that inboxx file can reduce file server requirements by over 50 per cent while remaining transparent to the end user.

When a file is archived a link is created through a small stub file. With inboxx file, these stubs can be moved, renamed or copied just like the original file, a capability that GFT claims is missing from most competing products.

Bernd Hoeck, director of marketing at GFT inboxx, told vnunet.com that current archiving takes a silo approach in which documents, emails, ERP data and the like are all archived separately, creating management and retention problems for IT departments.

Hoeck believes that unified archiving can solve these issues by creating a base layer which sits between all aspects of the IT system and the archiving and storage platform.

This provides improved storage utilisation, more effective tiering, easier archiving and better retention and compliance, the firm claims.

It also means that searching and e-discovery are made a lot easier as all the data is stored and indexed in one place, reducing network traffic and simplifying disaster recovery.

"Archiving is seen by many firms as being very complicated, so many businesses don't do anything because they have no idea what to do," said Hoeck.

In February 2009 the company plans to release inboxx voice, allowing call centres to archive call recordings and associated screenshots in the same unified framework.