PST files are extremely
popular amongst many professional organizations and they often contain
sensitive and confidential information about the business. However, when they
are not managed properly and regularly, they will undoubtedly pose security
threats to the business as well as cause various problems for the IT support
teams. Here we will take a look at the PST files and the problems caused by
them.
What are the PST Files?
If you don’t belong in IT,
this term might seem unfamiliar. The PST files are known as Personal Archives
or Outlook archives that can be created by MS Outlook users when they enable
the Auto Archive function. PST is known as Outlook data files or Personal
Storage Table files. The auto archive feature of MS Outlook helps users bypass
the mailbox quote limits which allow the IT departments to create a central
Exchange server. But where the PST files are located? You can locate the PST
files almost anywhere.
Are PST Files Secure?
The answer to this question
is dependent on various factors, but normally the PST files aren’t secure. The
PST files come with extreme portability features as they can be disconnected
from MS Outlook and can be copied to other locations.
Outlook users can use the
PST files to transfer email data between organizations as well as people
easily. The PST files can be protected by passwords. But if you search on the
internet, you will find various algorithms that are capable of breaking these
passwords. If you think that PST files are extremely unreliable, you’re
correct. Even the MS developers say that the PST files are not designed to
store a massive amount of email data items. If you keep storing more and more
email items on the PST files, they might be corrupted. In such cases, it’s best
to use a third-party PST recovery tool to fix the corrupt outlook data files.
Are PST Files Always Available?
Even though many users believe
that PST files are always available, this is not relevant most time. This is
because MS Outlook needs to have access to the location of the PST files. This
is relevant for office-based users who can access the same PST files over the
network storage or local server. However, if the user is capable of working
from different locations or desktops, they might not be able to access the PST
files all the time they want. Additionally, if the users are dependent on MS
Outlook Web Access, they won’t be able to access the PST files. Remember that
users can easily disconnect the PST files from their MS Outlook profile. This
is a common practice for some users when they try to manage different types of
PST files from the same MS Outlook profile. As long as the user is aware of the
location, the PST files can be accessed easily. However, most MS Outlook users
cannot find the PST files once they are closed. As a result, the orphaned PST
files will be created. These PST files still contain essential business information
that needs to be stored.
Can You Backup the PST Files?
This is dependent on the
location of the PST files as well as the capability of the IT department at
managing the different types of PST files. If the PST files are located on
laptops and desktops, then they might not be included in the backup strategy of
the corporation. Therefore, they won’t be protected from possible data loss.
However, if the PST files are located on networks, they can be backed up. But
storing the PST files over the virtual network or cloud services might cause
corruption. As per Norton, data backup is essential.
How Can You Know If the PST Files Have Problems?
This is one of the most
common questions MS Outlook users ask about the PST files. If you don’t have
much information about the PST files, you might fail to know whether they have
problems or not. You need to contact the IT department as they will help you
know whether the PST files have been affected. They will conduct an initial
search that might indicate the presence of the problem. You also need to pay
close attention to the actual data size of the PST files over the on-disk size.
You also need to identify the owner of the data in each of the PST files, which
is extremely important for the orphaned PST files. Once you get the relevant
pieces of information, you need to come up with strategies.
Do Organizations Still Use the PST Files?
PST files are undoubtedly
one of the most important aspects of MS Outlook and many businesses store the
mailbox items of retired employees on the PST files as a retention method. But
you might notice the inconsistency.
Conclusion
This is everything you need to know to manage the PST files. If you have any more questions, feel free to let us know in the comment box below.
