Open Text smartens up SharePoint storage
Open Text smartens up SharePoint storage
October 9, 2008: Open Text's new Storage Services for SharePoint Server 2007 allow content to be stored externally while also reducing wasted space by automatically detecting multiple instances of the same content.
In SharePoint servers, document content is stored inside dedicated SharePoint SQL databases, including what is known as binary large objects or BLOB content that is not necessary for queries to the database. BLOB content can be stored outside of the SharePoint SQL database to save space.
Open Text Storage Services for SharePoint, which uses the Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 External BLOB Storage API, provides the capability to seamlessly store identical copies of documents in SharePoint only once.
It accomplishes this single-instance archiving feat by keeping track of whether a document has already been stored. Multiple document copies emerge as a problem anytime SharePoint is used for team collaboration or when independent teams collaborate in a decentralized, loosely affiliated manner.
Storage Services for SharePoint can also help enterprises meet regulatory and business requirements for information retention. For example, Open Text Storage Services for SharePoint can be used to ensure that business critical content is secured in multiple physical locations and SharePoint content can be stored on different storage devices, depending on the business and compliance needs of the content.
Open Text Storage Services for SharePoint is compatible with all major storage providers including Hitachi Data Systems, StorageTek, Network Appliance, EMC, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems.
"With SharePoint, Microsoft has provided an excellent platform for sharing information that lets teams work together to swiftly create and share content," said Jens Rabe, Vice President of Open Text's Microsoft Solutions Group.
"Because of the productivity advantages, there is strong user demand and enterprises are able to quickly roll out SharePoint sites and applications. Open Text Storage Services for SharePoint let companies embrace decentralization, while still ensuring that broader organizational requirements around data retention are being met."