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Just about EVERYONE I speak to at work complains about the size of their corporate email account.  Normally it’s not a problem (but they still complain…) because when a mailbox approaches it’s limit, most email servers (like Microsoft Exchange) will warn the user so they can clean up the mailbox before the server enforces their size limits by restricting send/receive from the server. 

Now, this is all fine and Dandy UNTIL…  you go on vacation for a few days, the email size warnings come and go then KABOOM!!! your mailbox is FULL and you can no longer send/receive email from your Blackberry, Windows Mobile phone or even OWA (Outlook Web Access) for that matter…  I’ve received the call a million times.  MY CRACKBERRY IS DEAD!!! HELP!!!

So, what can be done?  Is there a solution to these tiny mailboxes?  What should I do before I go on vacation?  And, this is where I introduce you to the infamous (according to IT) Outlook PST file.

What are Outlook .PST files?

• Microsoft Outlook .PST files or “Personal Folders Files” can be created using Microsoft Outlook to move or copy Email and Attachments from your Server Mailbox account to your local PC.  Essentially, it’s a local Archive / Storage file you create to store Email and Attachments on your computers Hard Drive, USB Drive or Server Share (depending  where you create and store it).

How much can you store in Outlook .PST files?

• Prior to Outlook 2003/2007, .PST files could only store 2 Gigabytes of Email and Attachments.  With Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007, the format changed allowing the .PST files to grow as needed to over 20 Gigabytes in size unless the default configuration is modified. 
• Honestly, IMOP don’t let them get 20 Gigs…  It’s a much better idea to keep your .PST files no larger than a few gig’s.  If you need more space, create a new .PST file rather than creating HUGE .PST archive.  The larger the .PST files get, the greater chance of corruption and data loss (plus the harder it will be to backup the bad boys…).  You can attach as many .PST files to your Outlook Client as you need so just separate your email logically across multiple .PST files if you need to store more than a few GIG’s of old email.

How can I create Outlook .PST files?

• It’s EASY.  Give me a few minutes.  I’m writing that article NOW (7/15/08).

Why use / create .PST files? Benefits?

Mailbox Size

• Remember the 1st paragraph of this Article?  Most email administrators limit the size of Corporate mailboxes.  The bigger the Mailbox, the more disk space they need, the more they need to backup AND the more TIME they need to perform those backups.
• If your an email packrat (like me), a 200 Megabyte mailbox just won’t cut it.  That’s where .PST files come in.  Simply create a .PST file  and drag and drop your email into it.  They work just like a normal mailbox folder in Outlook.  Drag and Drop.  It’s SIMPLE!   <let me know if you nee more help.  Just post your questions in our Forum>.
• The latest versions of Windows Search indexes your mailbox AND all local .PST files (configurable) which allows for almost instant access to all emails via the search features built into Microsoft Outlook.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

• If you don’t have an email administrator who regularly performs backups of your email server (or you don’t trust him), copying email (yes, you don’t need to MOVE mail to .PST files, you can copy it also) to a local .PST file is a fast and easy method to ensure your email is recoverable in a server DR scenario.

Portability

• .PST files make email portable.  For instance, let’s say you want to move email from one mailbox to another.  For instance, perhaps your changing jobs and want to bring some old email.  Or perhaps your changing host providers.  OR, perhaps you want to copy your personal and work email to a .PST file, keep it on a small USB drive and keep it with you at all times.  Like I said, .PST files keeps mail very portable.  And yes… so is a GMAIL account but this article is not about GMAIL

Security

• Did you know it’s almost impossible to track / audit if your IT guy/department is reading your email?  Moving “Sensitive” or “Confidential” email off the Email / Exchange Server to a local .PST file adds a layer of security.
• Note: Most IT departments have the ability to grab your .PST files without you knowing it right from your Hard Drive at work.  Because of this, additional security needs to be exercised on your computers Hard Drive.  I’ll write an article on this subject shortly but for now, take a look at this article.  It’s a bit “GEEKY” so I’ll follow it up shortly with an article which explains a few options for securing .PST files.

What are the downsides to using .PST files?

Remote Access

• Once mail is moved into a .PST file, it will no longer be available on the server using remote access applications like OWA or Mobile phones which SYNC with your mailbox.  To access the email in the .PST files, you will need to use a full Microsoft Outlook Client.  A small USB drive can help in these situations however, it’s still not as convenient as leaving email on the server.

People Won’t Like you and it’s possible you could lose your job

• .PST files over time (depending on how much email you receive/keep…) can take up A LOT of space on your local Computer or a Server Share depending on where you store them.  IT guys hate anything that makes them work on anything unless it is building their resume so putting a lot of data somewhere which will require them to buy more disk space upsets them.
• Corporate Legal and most Records Management departments don’t like .PST files as they allow you the end user to easily ignore or bypass corporate document retention / destruction policies. 
• Corporate Information Security teams also don’t like .PST files because if Legal ever asks them to recover data for a lawsuit or subpoena, PST files can exasperate the cost and effort of the data recovery.

System & Brain Performance

• The more email you have, the more email both YOU and your Computer need to keep track of and process.
• Because more emails and attachments will be indexed by Windows Search (or some other email/system indexer), your index will be larger AND your searches will take longer.

So, hopefully I answered all your questions about Microsoft Outlook .PST files and covered some high level Pro’s and Con’s.  I probably missed a few things here and there so if you have more questions, please feel free to drop a comment or post your question in my forum.

Tags: mirosoft outlook, pst, email archive