PC users planning to upgrade email programs at the end of this year should get rid of zombie accounts and reduce the amount of data in storage, one email management company has advised.
The Dec. 31 cut-off, when Microsoft has said it will stop support of its Exchange 5.5 program, could be a time for administrators to clean out unwanted accounts and streamline their systems.
Dave Hunt, chief executive officer of C2C, also suggested email archiving.
"Capacity-based archiving can help smooth a migration by shifting non-critical email out of the system so the migrating load is smaller," he said in a statement. "Oversized mailboxes are always a problem with any migration strategy, and archiving can provide technical business benefits with real ROI."
C2C recommended three actions, dealing with zombie users, reducing the migration load and cutting down on data, when switching programs. User advice site Computer Performance also suggested that users give their new email platform a thorough walk through after the switch.
"Beware the 'horseless carriage syndrome.' When the car was first invented the driver was on the outside, this was because historically, the coach driver had always been out near the horses," the website advised readers. "My point: with any new product like Exchange 2003, take the time to check out the new features and do not just carry on doing the same tasks in the same old way."