Today, we’re launching a dynamic set of functionality that will make your Finance department swoon.
Ci’s all-new Workspace Storage Management policies allow you to automatically keep your storage costs in check – and the beauty is that its a simple “set it and forget it” policy.
Today, we’re introducing three Workspace storage management policies to help you better manage your storage costs and ultimately keep your overhead low. What makes these policies truly powerful is that Network Admins can set a combination of policies to develop storage management practices that are ‘just right’ for individual Workspaces based on the needs of the team or their workflow. Ultimately, keeping a well-groomed Workspace will not only save you money, but it will also open up your team to focus on their creative projects instead of spending precious overhead on mundane content management tasks.
The Archive Policy
- Secure archive of original source file
- Access to preview proxies and thumbnails
Enabling an Archive policy is perhaps one of the most appealing policies for many teams – it allows you to set a date when Ci will automatically archive a file for you. You’ll see significant cost savings when files are moved to archive. Meanwhile, your team will continue to enjoy the usual search and preview files in Workspace. A company that uploads 30TB of content per month could save almost $35,000 annually in storage costs by setting an Archive policy.
This policy will impact files in active MediaBoxes but since your original source file is securely stored, members can simply restore any archived files back to their Workspace with a couple clicks when needed.
The Trash Policy
- Free up Network Admins from manual Workspace housekeeping tasks
- Pair with a Delete policy for maximum savings
For Admins who are fed up of dealing with cluttered Workspaces with irrelevant or duplicate files from external contributors or Workspace members, this policy is for you! The Trash policy will automatically clean up your Workspace of obsolete files and send them to your Trash. Because files in your trash bin are counted towards your storage allocation, enabling a Trash policy will not directly lead to cost savings. However, setting a Trash policy in conjunction with a Delete policy can guarantee compelling cost savings.
The benefit of setting a Trash policy can be seen by teams who collect content that is curated to produce a final piece of content (e.g. compilation videos, sizzle reels). These teams might collect hundreds of files but only using a handful for the final product. While you might opt to archive the few curated files in a separate Workspace, you can safely Trash the dozens of files that didn’t make the cut. By setting a Trash policy, you can rest assure that these extraneous files will auto-magically be purged when your policy is executed – clearing room in your Workspace for your next project. Do be aware that, as of this writing, Trash policies also apply to files that have been archived.
The Delete Policy
- Purge trashed files to lower your storage costs
- Maintain an uncluttered Workspace to focus your team
For the most cost-conscious teams, this is your dream policy. A Workspace with up a Delete policy means Ci will automatically and permanently delete files that are in your Trash. A file in your Trash will likely have little to no value to your team (otherwise why is it in your Trash?) but they count towards your allocated Workspace storage. Configuring a Delete policy means that all those unused files will be liquidated without ever lifting a finger. Once a delete policy is executed, deleted files cannot be retrieved. And again, as with the Trash policy, Delete policies do also apply to files that have been archived.
How to set Ci storage management policies
Once your Company Network has the storage management policy entitlement, setting policies is easy. The Network Admin can go to the Account Management page and select the Workspace you want to set-up the policy for. In the Overview tab, scroll to the Storage Management area and select your policy settings from the drop-down menus. Visit our Company Network Admin guide for step-by-step instructions on more information on how Workspace storage management.
Policy Options
By default, Archive policies can be set-up to execute after one day while Trash and Delete policies start after seven days. However, you can configure a custom date if you prefer to set your own specific number of days.
Archive policies and Trash policies can be set by “create date” or by “last activity.” In contrast, Delete policies are set by the date when files are sent to Trash. Create date is the date a file is uploaded, copied or untrashed to your Workspace. Last Activity refers to the last time a file is downloaded, restored from archive untrashed, added to a MediaBox or a WorkSession.
You do the planning. Let Ci do the rest.
Once policies are configured, Ci will drive it home. When policies are executed, Ci will implement the policies according to your policy and you will see an activity notification in your Workspace activity stream so you and all other Workspace members are informed.
Worried that your policy (or a team member) could accidentally delete files that you need in the future? Network Admins can go to your Account Settings and update the Delete Files Forever privilege to “Network Admins only” or “Workspace Owner or Network Admins” avert any accidents. You can also opt-in for automated email alerts when files are trashed from your Workspaces.
Not sure how to plan your policy configurations? No problem, contact our Customer Success Team and let us help you build the right policy plan for you.
What will you do with storage management policies?
Ci’s new storage management policies help you maintain a tidy relevant Workspace and shave down costs without losing the benefit of access or searchability so you can let your creative teams focus on being creative without fear of running over-budget. Because policies can be set to a variety of configurations, we’re sure that you’ll be able to find benefit from these policy options.
Storage management policies are available today for Company Network tier customers. Read this article for step-by-step instructions on how Network Admins can set-up storage management policies or contact our Customer Success Team to try the policies for yourself.
The Ci Team