Are you making the most of Windows Search? This was one of the most important new features introduced with Windows Vista that can save you a good deal of time. Instead of clicking through layers of folder hierarchy, simply type the filename or a phrase that occurs in your document and Windows will find it for you - even in emails and images! In Windows Vista, just click the Start button (or press the Windows key) and start typing your search keywords. The results are displayed right in the start menu. Tip: you can quickly find and launch programs that way.
For a series of videos about Windows Search, visit the Windows Search 4.0 website.
Exchange mailboxes are never large enough. The upward pressure of the ever-increasing volume of email we deal with is set against the downward pressure from system administrators, as they battle to manage the servers and keep up with storage requirements. The end result is that our mailbox is usually smaller than we would like. It's important to garden your mailbox and keep it below the quota set by your administrator, or your ability to send and receive email could be affected. This is a task that no-one likes doing, but luckily there are some productivity features built into the Office System that can help you keep your mailbox clean and lean - automatically. In brief, here are my recommended strategies.
- Empty Deleted Items and Junk Email folders regularly. The easiest way to ensure that happens automatically is to use Outlook's AutoArchive feature.
- Run AutoArchive on a schedule, at least weekly. Set your retention threshold so that your mailbox is always within quota.
- Be mindful of large file attachments - pay attention to Sent Items.
- Don't use email (and therefore your mailbox) for file-sharing. There are better ways to share files.
It is worth looking at a couple of those strategies in a little more detail.
Auto Archive
Outlook's AutoArchive feature is designed to help you keep your mailbox clean and relevant. Set it up by visiting the Tools | Options menu, Other tab.
When done, be sure to click 
Once configured as above, AutoArchive will move old items from your mailbox on the server to a Personal Store (.pst file)your local hard drive and they will no longer count against your mailbox quota. If you selected the 
option, then your archive folder will show up in your folder list and your archived items will still be accessible, indexed and searchable. However, This means that you must also assume responsibility for backing up the archive file, and you will only be able to access the archived items on the computer where they are stored. There are ways and means to make these files available on other computers, but that's for another article.
I tend to start a new archive folder each year, named 2007 Archive, 2008 Archive, etc and I periodically copy the archive files to a DVD-ROM as a permanent backup.
It is worth changing the default AutoArchive settings on both Deleted Items and Junk Email folders to both shorten the retention period and delete old items rather than moving to the archive. To do this, right-click on the folder, select Properties... then the AutoArchive tab. Configure the Deleted Items folder to permanently delete old items after a few days. Do the same for Junk Email. I typically use about 7 days for this, as shown:
Managing Attachments
One thing that quickly eats up your mailbox quota is file attachments. Each time you send or receive a message with an attachment, the file is stored in your mailbox along with the message. Sent Items is one place where attachments tend to linger unnoticed. Outlook 2007 includes a feature called Search Folders and, by default, comes pre-configured with a Search Folder called Large Mail that will show you all messages larger than 100Kb. That's a bit conservative for my own email usage pattern, but the folder is easily customised with a different threshold by right-clicking and opening Properties...
The search folder is constantly updated by Outlook so you'll always be able to find where those large items are lurking.
Shared Attachments
A second strategy is to avoid putting the file in your mailbox in the first place. If your organisation uses Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) then you can make use of a feature called Shared Attachments. In Outlook 2007, this feature is curiously obscure. After attaching your file, click on the little icon in the corner of the Include pane, shown here.
A task pane will open on the right of your email where you can provide the URL of your SharePoint server and select "Shared Attachments". Outlook creates a Document Workspace on the server and places a link to it in your email, like this one:
This technique not only allows several people to see and collaborate on the same document, it also means you don't need to store a copy of the document in your email. When the recipient opens the email and clicks on the link, they will be taken to the newly-created document workspace.
File Sharing
Finally, if you need to share files with colleagues but don't have access to a SharePoint Server, you have a number of options. consider using Windows Live Messenger (which supports folder sharing) or Microsoft Office Groove 2007. Live Messenger Folder Sharing is suitable for most ad-hoc file sharing needs and is very simple to use. There is also Office Live Workspace which is integrated with Windows Vista and Office 2007. Groove works best when the same set of information needs to be shared with several people. It is ideal for virtual teams or where a workgroup is spread across multiple organisations.
For more information about anything in this blog article, please email Tim Long at TiGra Networks.
Further Reading
Office Systems Blog, 2007 Office System Training Presentations (Manage you Mailbox parts I, II, III, IV, V)
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When choosing an IT provider, ask yourself this question: "Does my IT provider rely on my systems going wrong to make money?". If the answer is "yes" then perhaps you should consider a new IT provider. If your IT provider bills you by the hour, then you probably fall into this category.
Of course, things will always go wrong with IT. Software vendors try to tell us that "it isn't rocket science" and that we can all manage our own IT with ease, but the fact is, successful IT is actually pretty darned close to rocket science. There can be dozens or hundreds of interconnected systems that all have to work correctly.
At TiGra Networks, our aim is to proactively manage our customers' IT so that we minimise faults and down-time. We charge an affordable, fixed monthly fee and try our best to keep your systems going, so there are no nasty surprises and you're never held 'over a barrel' when your systems are down. As part of our standard service, we try to help our customers develop a long term strategy for technology, guiding them to make the right choices that'll result in reliable systems that support the business' processes and practices. IT Companies who still bill by the hour are fundamentally conflicted, since the better the job they do, the less money they will make. Our managed services approach means that it is in our best interests to keep everything working for a fixed regular payment. We believe this business model is fairer to everyone. We get rewarded for doing a good job, while you get reliable systems and predictable budgeting. Which type of relationship do you want with your IT provider?
Oh, and don't forget to look for credentials. We support primarily Microsoft products and we try to build strong links with Microsoft's small business team in Reading, UK. We attend regular seminars and have passed exams to prove we have the skills necessary to support your IT. There is precious little regulation in the IT industry and there are still plenty of 'fly by night' characters out there. We highly recommend looking for the Small Business Specialist 'blue badge' logo as a minimum standard for any IT provider (click the image for more information).