New and Extensible File Classification Infrastructure

Managing storage is no longer simply about volume and availability; organizations need to manage their data more effectively and more efficiently.  Only by gaining insight into their data can companies reduce the cost of storing, maintaining, and managing data. Only by enforcing company policies and knowing how storage is utilized can administrators efficiently use their storage and mitigate the risks of data leakage.  The next frontier for administrators is to be able to manage data based on business value.

Windows Server® 2008 R2 File Classification Infrastructure (FCI), a built-in solution for file classification, enables manual processes to be automated with predefined policies based on the data’s business value.  File Classification Infrastructure provides you with insight into your data to help you manage your data more effectively, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. 

FCI also provides an extensible API upon which developers can build end-to-end solutions that enable organizations to perform advanced classification and data management, thus enabling Microsoft partners to deliver rich classification solutions.

FCI’s out-of-the-box functionality includes the ability to define classification properties, automatically classify files based on location and content, apply file management tasks such as file expiration and custom commands based on classification, and produce reports that show the distribution of a classification property on the file server.

Take a tour of FCI capabilities and learn more about FCI extensibility via MSDN Channel9 and the Windows Server Portal.