BMD Cloud: Optimise storage space

1. Detailed instructions and tips for an efficient use
2. Comply with storage limits
     2.1. What counts as storage space?
3. Free up space: how to start the clean-up
4. Identify areas that take up a lot of space
5. Archive efficiently with DMS Cheap
6. Optimise storage use in Outlook (Microsoft 365)
     6.1. Look for large attachments
     6.2. Compress emails with large attachments
     6.3. Clean up the Outlook cache
     6.4. Settings for the cache of Exchange mailboxes
     6.5. Remove deleted emails permanently
7. Optimise Windows search: reset Windows search
8. Cloud first strategy: save files to OneDrive
9. Conclusion

Detailansicht Technik1. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS AND TIPS FOR AN EFFICIENT USE

Efficient use of the cloud storage not only reduces costs but also increases productivity and simplifies data management. In this article, you will learn

• how to monitor storage use and how to comply with storage limits,
• how to free up space by deleting data,
• how you can reduce costs on the long term and improve the organisation by using solutions like DMS Cheap and OneDrive,
• and how you can make use of practical measures (e.g. optimising Outlook and the Windows search).

Detailansicht Technik2. COMPLY WITH STORAGE LIMITS: AVOID ADDITIONAL COSTS

Your cloud environment has by default:

• a total of 50 GB of free storage space for each environment
• +10 GB of additional storage space for each user

In addition, you can request a detailed storage space evaluation from our IT support team to get a precise overview regarding your use of storage space.

For example:
An environment with 3 users has 80 GB storage space in total (50 GB of basic space + 30 GB due to the 3 users).

Important:
If you exceed the storage limit, additional costs arise. It is therefore essential to keep an eye on your storage use to avoid additional fees.

Detailansicht Technik2.1. What counts as storage space?

All files in your environment contribute to the storage utilisation, among them:

• User profiles (desktop files, recycle bin, downloads, Outlook (Microsoft 365), e.g. emails and attachments saved offline)
• Drives (e.g. the drives K and W)
• DMS (document management system / archive)

The database size is not counted as storage space and is therefore irrelevant for your usage.

Detailansicht Technik3. FREE UP SPACE: HOW TO START THE CLEAN-UP

In order to improve the cloud storage space, we recommend that you regularly delete unused and redundant data. These are the most important steps:

• Empty the Downloads folder: check the folder for temporary or duplicate files that are no longer needed.
• Empty the recycle bin: people tend to forget about the recycle bin, but it can account for a big part of the used space. Empty it on a regular basis.
• Clean up the Documents folder and desktop: these folders often contain old files that can either be archived or deleted.
• Network drives (e.g. the drives K and W): check the network drives for the files saved there. Remove redundant files and only keep important documents at hand.

Detailansicht Technik4. IDENTIFY AREAS THAT TAKE UP A LOT OF SPACE

There are various sources that can influence storage utilisation. The following areas are particularly relevant:

• User profiles and network drives: files in user profiles and network drives count to the storage space use directly.
• Desktop und Outlook (Microsoft 365): emails and attachments saved offline as well as desktop files can also form a great part of the storage space use.

To analyse the storage utilisation, you can make use of the tool “WizTree” which can be found in the Start menu under “Troubleshooting”. With WizTree, you can generate a graphic representation of the folder and file sizes. This enables you to find out quickly which data occupy the most storage space.

Here, you can select the drives that should be checked.

You can find a description of the drives here.

In the left column, you can see the storage space used by the individual folders of the drive. 

In the right column, the file types are listed and sorted in descending order by storage space use.

Detailansicht Technik5. ARCHIVE EFFICIENTLY WITH DMS CHEAP

For customers with large data volumes, we offer the solution DMS Cheap. This solution allows you to:

• set up a task: documents that are older than 4 or 5 months (or according to your request) will be moved to a slower and cheaper storage automatically. These files will be kept safely but they will be visible outside of the primary storage.
• save costs: archived data will be saved for a cheaper price (only half of the regular costs).

With DMS Cheap, your primary storage space remains compact, saving costs in the long run.

You are welcome to inform us about your preferred time range by email at technik@bmd.at so we can take care of the set-up. 

Detailansicht Technik6. OPTIMISE STORAGE USE IN OUTLOOK (MICROSOFT 365)

Emails and attachments can take up a lot of storage, which is often unnoticed. With the following measures, you can reduce the required storage in Outlook efficiently:

Detailansicht Technik6.1. Look for large attachments

In order to identify emails with large attachments, there are two simple and efficient methods: using a search folder and the sorting functionality in the ribbon.

Method 1: use the search folder

Outlook offers the option to create a custom search folder which allows you to find large messages faster. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Right-click on “Search Folders” in the left navigation pane and select “New Search Folder”.
• Select “Large mail” in the open window.
• Below the selection, you can specify the mail size, e.g. “Mail larger than 100 KB.”
• Create the search folder by clicking OK to see all large mails.

With this method, you can filter your emails by size and identify large attachments quickly.

Alternative: use the sort functionality in the ribbon

If you do not want to use a search folder, you can instead sort your emails by size directly in the ribbon:

• Go to View → Arrange by → “Size” in Outlook.
• The emails are sorted by file size automatically and the largest emails are displayed at the top.

This method is especially useful if you only need an overview of the largest emails for a short time.

Both options are a quick and simple option to identify large emails and to manage them if required.

Detailansicht Technik6.2. Compress emails with large attachments

If you send large files by email, we recommend compressing them beforehand. This way, you can save storage and reduce the transmission time on top. After sending them, you can archive or delete such attachments if required.

Detailansicht Technik6.3.    Clean up the Outlook cache

If you clean up the Outlook cache, redundant data will be removed, supporting the optimisation of the storage space. You can use the tool “Cleanup Outlook Cache” for this:

Caution!
The cache file will be rebuilt, meaning that all emails must be downloaded again. Therefore, you should only make use of this option after changing the cache period.

Detailansicht Technik6.4. Settings for the cache of Exchange mailboxes

In order to save storage space, you can change the size of the part of your Exchange mailbox that will be cached locally. You can adjust this setting individually or centrally via the group policy (GPO) which can be defined by our IT support team.

Note
Afterwards, the Outlook data file (OST) must be recreated for the updated settings to be applied.

Detailansicht Technik6.5. Remove deleted emails permanently

Make sure that deleted emails are fully removed from the folder “Deleted elements” to free up the storage space.

Detailansicht Technik7. OPTIMISE WINDOWS SEARCH: RESET WINDOWS SEARCH

An inefficient Windows search can take up a lot of storage space and impair the performance. 
If the Windows search is no longer efficient or if the search results are incorrect, resetting the indexing can help to improve the performance.

Regarding this topic, please contact our IT support team directly. You can contact them via technik@bmd.at if you want to reset the Windows search or start the indexing again.

Detailansicht Technik8. CLOUD FIRST STRATEGY: SAVE FILES TO ONEDRIVE

By using OneDrive, you can save your files directly in the cloud and use less local storage space.
Advantages:

• Access to your files
• More storage space due to file outsourcing

Note

• Files and folders must be moved to the OneDrive folder for them to be synchronised and to be saved in the cloud.
• Do not copy: if you only copy the file, the local copy will be kept and will keep occupying storage space. Rather move the files to the OneDrive folder.
• Activate the function “Free up space” so that any local copies will be removed. This way, no local files will be kept on the local hard drive, but they will be available in the cloud.

Our IT support team can provide you with the OneDrive solution in order to facilitate saving and synchronising your data.

Detailansicht Technik9. CONCLUSION

Check and optimise your storage use regularly as this is the key to a cost-efficient and powerful cloud environment. With solutions like DMS Cheap, OneDrive and detailed tips for optimisation, you can save storage space and reduce costs.

If you need assistance with implementing the mentioned measures, do not hesitate to contact our IT support team. Please contact us if you need more information!