If you’ve tried archiving Exchange 2010, you’ll notice that single instance storage has gone away. Since the release of Microsoft Exchange 4.0 we have been used to the reduced amount of disk space required to store messages as a result of single instance storage. This was ideal in single server single database scenarios but over time with the introduction of Exchange 2000, 2003 and 2007 the number of databases on a single server has also increased. Single instance storage (SIS) simply helped keep individual database sizes down but that didn’t address the problem of multiple copies across multiple databases.
MADSolutions introduced Single Share to accommodate multiple copies of attachments across databases to help reduce database sizes by eliminating the need to house the same attachment in multiple databases and instead keep them stored centrally on a web server or file server. This helped users keep email for extended periods of time, aiding in effective email attachment management.
The architectural changes in Exchange 2010 now have introduced an even greater need to handle attachments. Despite low cost disk and the ability to have very large mailboxes, managing database sizes continues to be a challenge for backup and recovery. The true question out there still is…how big should we let our databases get and how long will it take to back them up and restore them if ever the need arises? Better yet, is it really necessary to keep that one document sent by a user to 20 people who just happen to have their mailboxes on different servers and in different databases? The result is backing up the same file over and over and over and over again. With Exchange 2010 you can easily deploy a highly available system and have multiple data copies but seriously, how many copies of the same file do we need?
Now more than ever, exchange database size needs to be kept in check and MADSolutions’ Email Management Server is the ideal solution. Eliminating the need for single instance storage at the database level, eliminating the need to store the same attachment in multiple databases and eliminating the need to have that same attachment copied again and again in replica copies of the database for high availability. The single share functionality of Email Management Server can take that single copy sent by a user to 20 people and reduce it down to a true single copy. The end result is an Exchange environment with a greater capacity to handle user’s email for months if not years without the burden of attachments bloating their mailboxes. If you haven’t taken a look at MADSolutions Email Management Server before but you’re contemplating anything to do with Exchange mailbox management, then may now would be a good time to check it out and see for yourself.