Whether you store files locally, on the server or up in the cloud (cloud computing) – it is important to structure well
Whether an organsation has decided to store files in house or give access to another organisation, I believe it is very important to structure files and have file naming standard conventions. The observation has been made many times in people wanting to keep all the versions of documents, to keep all their emails, or even just having database tables which they do not realise are actually redundant. All this does is add to the storage and that in itself will affect any back ups which are carried out on file/database servers, and effectively affect actual efficiency.
Having worked for many years as an Oracle database designer/programmer and as a Configuration Manager, I know the importance of ensuring there is structure. Not only does it ensure files are kept organised, the time required for teams to provide support and maintainance is made a lot easier. Time is valuable! When I used to design database systems, I always had to question the clients on what they did and why, and whether there was a need to keep an audit trail for example. If records were deleted by a client using the front-end system, the record would be flagged as being deleted on the database table and then either copied into an audit table or a script created as a materialized view. So even though the client does not see the record on screen, physically it is still kept in the Oracle database. Some business processes require records to be stored for some time for legal reasons. Having worked on a HR/Payroll system, there was a need to keep sickness records for 12 years, on the UK charts system there was a need to keep everything, on the gas/billing system there was a need to keep all client transactions, etc. Basically, each business process needs to look into why data is required and ensure it is stored efficiently.
Prince2 is a document driven methodology and having used it across a number of organisations, I have noticed a lot of documents stored on the individual’s own server, the centrally accessed server and in a configuration management system (which has its own server). 3 different locations! There is definitely a need to make sure files are kept in a central location and there also needs to be some contingency planning in case access to the files cannot be made.
I have already touched upon back-ups. Personally, I only back up files which I amend on the day. I have noticed some people back up everything on a daily basis, but that can take time to do and use more power consumption. More power consumption, more energy usage and more carbon footprint. Stating the obvious again, but once you get into the habit of ensuring there is discipline and structure in what you as an individual do, there will a difference made in reducing your IT equipment’s own carbon footprint and cost. There is also software available which automatically backs up files which are new or have been amended.
Going back to emails, many people have folders set up to organise their emails. Does everyone delete the same message which has had many reply to’s? No doubt the inbox is organised, but the sent items folder often does not get looked at. Some people even forward all their messages from their separate email addresses to one account they use, but may not delete it from the other accounts. Storage!
There will be many what if scenarios such as ‘what if the server goes down?’, ‘what if the internet goes down?’, ‘what if my local hard drive becomes corrupt?’, and more importantly ‘how would it affect the business’ should any of these actually occur?
Cloud Computing is definitely one of the buzz words in Green IT. Strictly speaking, I actually question whether it is actually truly Green though! I shall write another blog post on Cloud Computing, as again there are pros and cons to consider. A few other questions to bear in mind are of security and control. Chapter 5 in the Greening IT book (http://greening.it) covers Cloud Computing very well.
On another note, Facebook, LinkedIN, Skype and Messenger store a lot of information globally, and I am sure all the data is still kept/archived even though you may have deleted it.
Rather than clicking the delete key, probably best to unsubscribe from those you do not really read anymore otherwise it just keeps on building up.
So in a nutshell, before your system grows to the point you cannot regularly maintain it (we all have work to do! ) , ensure your files are named well, files storage is kept to a minimum (feng shui/de-clutter the files once a month! ) and you can get into the habit of actually deleting what you do not need. All it requires is ‘structure’.
