Introduction

The Storage Guard monitors data usage in the CRM.

Old data might often not be needed, but it might lead to additional storage costs. You can configure thresholds and let the system automatically delete old messages. Based on the deletion policy configured by your company’s administrator, the Storage Guard deletes the old data after notifying the administrator. 

An email will be sent to all admins, informing them of upcoming deletions based on Storage Guard settings.

Storage limits are defined by the plan you subscribe to, and you are charged if your data crosses the plan limit. Hence Vtiger’s customers cannot remove data that is not required.

 Accessing Storage Guard

Follow these steps to view Storage Guard:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the User Menu on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click Settings.
4. Go to Configuration.
5. Click Storage Guard.

The Storage Guard settings page with all the details will be displayed.

We have divided the page into five sections for better understanding.
 

They are:

• Usage Details block
• Configuration block 
• CRM Records tab
• Mailbox Email All Other Files tab
• All Other Files tab

Let us learn more about them...

 Feature Availability and Limits

 Usage Details Block

You will understand more about the Usage Details block by going through these questions and answers:

• Where can I see my storage usage?

You can see your storage usage in the following:

• Settings homepage
• Storage Guard settings
• Billing page 

• Which usage details can I see here?

This block displays the total storage based on your plan, the database storage, and the file storage details. 

• Which records are considered in Database and Files usage details?

Database storage includes the number of records and the data in each record. File storage includes inbox attachments, documents, the user or product images in the storage folder. 

• Will the storage usage data get updated instantly? 

No, it will not. The data gets updated every day. You can view when the data was last updated and when it will be updated next in the Usage Details block.

• Will I be notified about my storage details every month?

Yes, the administrators will receive a monthly notification email with the storage usage details.

​​

 
Configuration Block

You will understand more about the Configuration block by going through these questions and answers:

• Who can configure the deletion policy?

Those with the Administrator role can configure the deletion policy for the Storage Guard. 

• Are there any default settings regarding the deletion policy for the Storage Guard?  

Yes, by default, the Storage Guard is configured never to delete any record.

• For which records can I configure the deletion policy?

You can set up the deletion policies for the following records:

• Received Emails
• Sent Emails
• Failed Emails
• Events
• Tasks
• Update History

• What happens if there is no deletion policy?

If there is no deletion policy, your records will never be deleted by the Storage Guard. So, your usage might exceed your plan’s storage limit, resulting in storage charges.

• How can I configure the deletion policy?

Follow these steps to configure the deletion policy:

1. Log in to your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click Settings.
4. Go to Configuration.
5. Click Storage Guard.
6. Click the Edit icon in the Configuration block.
7. Click the drop-down for each record type.
8. Select the time. Here are the options:
   1. Delete after 3 months
   2. Delete after 6 months
   3. Delete after 1 year
   4. Delete after 2 years
   5. Delete after 3 years
   6. Delete after 4 years
   7. Delete after 5 years
   8. Never delete
9. Click Save.

• How frequently will I be notified about my storage usage?

You will be notified thrice by the Storage Guard based on the following conditions:

• Monthly usage alert to all administrators on the first of every month
• Send an email alert when storage usage percentage is greater than 80 and lesser than 99
• Send an email alert when the storage usage percentage is greater than 99

• How will the Storage Guard calculate the space used?

The Storage Guard will consider all records in the system of all users, including the inactive users and the ones in Recycle Bin.

• When are the old records deleted?

Storage Guard runs daily to check for the usage limits and reviews the records that can be deleted as per the configuration. Storage Guard notifies the administrator twice - four days and two days before deleting the records.

For example, if the Storage Guard is configured to delete Failed Emails after two years, it will remind the admin four days before deletion and then again two days before deletion.

• Will I be notified before data deletion?​​​​​​

Yes, all administrators will be notified twice via email.  The administrators will receive an email four days and two days before deletion. The record count will change based on the matching condition.

• Does the automatic email deletion process delete emails from different sources?

Yes, it deletes all types of emails like emails in your inbox, ad-hoc emails, workflow emails, and Mailroom emails.

​​​​​​​​

 CRM Records Tab 

In the CRM Records tab, you can view a list of all modules and the number of records in each module.

You will understand more about the CRM Records tab by going through these questions and answers:

• What information is shown in the CRM Records tab?

In the CRM Records tab, you will see the record count (number of records) for the modules in the Storage Guard.

• Does the record count include Recycle Bin records?

Yes, it includes Recycle Bin records as well.

• Can I delete records from the CRM Records tab?

No, you cannot. You must go to a specific module to select and delete the records.

• Is the record count in the CRM Records tab real-time data?

No, it is not real-time as the data is updated once every day, by default.

• Why are the number of records in the Contacts module and Storage Guard’s Contacts module different? 

The number of records in the Contacts module differs from the number visible Storage Guard’s Contacts module as Recycle Bin records are also added to this list.

• Why are Events and Tasks data not shown separately?

Events’ and Tasks’ records are displayed in a single row to avoid delay in loading the Storage Guard page.

 
Mailbox Email Attachments Tab 

In the Mailbox Email Attachments tab, you can view a list of all individual and group mailboxes and the records in each of them.
 

You will understand more about the Mailbox Email Attachments tab by going through these questions and answers:

• Which type of mailboxes are shown in the Mailbox Email Attachments tab?

All individual, group, and personal mailboxes are shown here with actual configured emails.

• Is the data shown in the Mailbox Email Attachments tab real-time data?

No, it is not real-time as the data is updated once every day, by default.

• How are the emails counted and displayed in the Mailbox Email Attachments tab?

Each row displays, 

• the number of inbox threads in that particular mailbox, and 
• the size of the email attachments linked to that mailbox.

• Why is the size not shown for a few records? 

If there are no attachments linked to a particular mailbox, the size is not displayed. Only the number of inbox threads in the mailbox is displayed. 

• Can we delete a mailbox from the Mailbox Email Attachments tab?

No, you cannot delete the mailbox from the storage guard. If you have access to a particular mailbox, you can delete it by going to the Inbox’s settings page.

 Adding Image Fields

• The Storage Guard will list image fields for all the modules where images are available. 
• If an admin adds image fields in a custom module or existing module, the image fields are listed in the attachment section of the Storage Guard.

 

All Other Files Tab 

In the All Other Files tab, you can view a list of all the attachments and each attachment’s size.
 

You will understand more about the All Other Files tab by going through these questions and answers:

• Which information is shown in the All Other Files tab?

All the attachments, their type, and size are shown in the All Other Files tab.

• Is the data shown in the All Other Files tab real-time data?

Yes, the data in the All Other Files tab is real-time data. 

• How many records are shown per page?

Depending on how you configure the Storage Guard, up to 100 records can be shown per page.

• Do you show Inbox’s personal mailbox attachments in the All Other Files tab?

No, we are not showing any mailbox attachments in the All Other Files tab. They are strictly accessible only by mailbox members and owners of the personal mailboxes.

• Can I filter the records in the All Other Files tab?

Yes, we have provided an option to filter records by various parameters. They are:

• File Size - You can specify the number and size (KB/MB/GB) along with a comparator (Larger/Smaller) 
• File Format - You can select one of the following file formats - png, jpeg, pdf, zip, mp3, mp4, ms word,  gif, CSV, and text. 
• Date Range - You can specify the date range using the calendar
• Type - You can select one of the following attachment types - Documents Attachment, Emails Attachment, Cases Attachment, Comments Attachment, InternalTickets Attachment, Webchat Attachment, Leads Image, Products Image, and Potentials (Deals) Image

 

• Can I download files from the Storage Guard?

Yes, you can download individual or multiple files to your local computer.

• How many files can I download at a time?

You can download up to 10 files, but the total size of 10 records should not exceed 150 MB. You will receive a warning if the limit is exceeded. 

• How can I download the files?

To download the files in the All Other Files tab, select all the records and click on the Download icon on the top of the table. 

• How can I delete the files?

To delete the files in the All Other Files tab, select all the records and click on the Delete icon on the top of the table.

• After deleting a file, will storage usage details get updated instantly?

No, it gets updated the next day. The Storage Guard details will be updated every day.

• How many files can I delete at a time?

You can delete up to 100 files at a time. 

• Will deleting a file from the All Other Files tab delete the record permanently?

Yes, when you delete a file in the All Other Files tab, you delete the record permanently. The system displays a warning message; the file is deleted only when you enter the word DELETE. 

• Can I restore the deleted files?

No, you cannot restore the deleted files.

• Can I see who deleted the files?

Yes, from the Settings Log page. Go to User Menu> User Management > Settings Log. You can also see other details such as:

• Which user deleted the files
• How many files were deleted
• How many were downloaded 

 

Note: You will not see details such as which exact file was deleted or downloaded.

 
Storage Guard Billing

• What is the cost for exceeded storage?

The cost for exceeded storage is 1 USD per GB per month or Rs. 70 per GB per month, excluding tax, depending on the currency you are currently being billed in.

• From when will I be billed for the exceeded storage? 

All customers will be billed for the exceeded storage from Feb 1st, 2021. 

• How will I be billed?

Vtiger CRM will automatically generate an invoice along with your monthly/yearly charges for the exceeded storage on your subscription date. A single invoice will be generated for your company irrespective of the number of users.

• Why am I suddenly being billed from Feb 1st for exceeded storage?

Recently, we have upgraded the Storage Guard’s functionality. We are now providing our customers an option to configure the deletion policy to remove old and unwanted records and free up the storage space.

• How can I clear the current storage space so that I won’t be billed?

You can free up the current storage space by manually deleting the following: 

• Old records in the modules 
• Emails in Inbox
• Email attachments