EXC06 Getting Rid of PSTs

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EXC06Getting Rid of PSTs

• Devin L. Ganger (3Sharp LLC) deving_at_3sharp.com
• (e)Mail Insecurity http//blogs.3sharp.com/blog/d
  eving/

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Download the most up-to-date version of these
slides athttp//www.3sharp.com/files/deving/exc0
4-ganger-f06.ppt
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PSTs PAIN

• Evil
• Still evil
• Die, die, die!
• so why do our users love them?

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Why PSTs still exist

• Computers are tools
• PSTs are tools
• Users dont care about intangiblesthey care
  about getting their work done
• Once they find something that works, users stick
  with it

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Risks of PSTs

• Loss of control
• Retention policies
• Electronic discovery
• Regulatory compliance
• Loss of data
• Not backed up
• Moved out of the organization
• File system bloat

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Solving the PST problem

• PST use is primarily a BEHAVIOR problem
• This is the way Ive always done this
• I have to do this to get my job done
• There are technical issues, but they are
  secondary to behavior
• Any solution must first address behavior before
  addressing the technology

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Hard Truths

• Users use PSTs because they dont know a better
  wayor dont agree the alternatives are better
• Users will actively subvert anti-PST measures if
  they feel they have to in order to be productive
• Users want to keep their data, even if they
  understand that there are good reasons you need
  to take it away

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Devins Theory of PST Removal

• Any successful attempt to remove PSTs will
  require the deployment of an email archival
  solution.

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Addressing User Expectations

• Treat PST removal as a major migration get a
  pilot group on-board
• Policy changes and management buy-in
• Be prepared for resistance but dont take it
  personally
• Offer benefits before taking away old favorites
• Training, training, and more training (and not
  just in classes)

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A few words about communication

• Classes and meetings are not the best way to
  disseminate information!
• Most effective? A party! If you wine and dine
  them, they will listen.
• Think outside of the box

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And now, the technical

• Find your PSTs
• Location (filesystem, registry, archives)
• Naming (extension or file structure)
• Permissions
• Index your PSTs
• Who owns this information?
• Whose mailbox needs pointers to this info?

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Migrating PSTs into your archive

• Your archival solution should use a optimized
  tool
• Single-instance storage
• Automatic identification of owner
• Inserts stubs into the mailbox
• ExMerge can work as a last resort, but it doesnt
  automate anything
• Identify the priority and order of migration

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Migration pain points

• Open PSTs in Outlook profiles
• Laptops
• Non domain-joined machines
• Credentials and permissions

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Archival Vendors

• These are not the only ones, but they come highly
  recommended
• Mimosa NearPoint
• Quest Archive Manager
• Symantec Enterprise Vault
• Co-incidentally, these three are all on the
  vendor floor!

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Questions?