Abstract: An endpoint stores information objects to a director, rather than to local storage, and stores links to information objects stored by the director. The devices may also automatically construct information objects from files upon creation of the files. An example endpoint device includes a processing unit configured to determine a file type for a file to be stored, wherein the file comprises an unstructured data object, and automatically append metadata to the file to create an information object based on the determined file type, wherein an information object comprises a structured data object having a structure that is consistent with a uniform structure for files as used by a director device, and a network interface configured to send the information object to the director device for storage, wherein the processing unit is configured to store a link to the information object stored by the director device.

Abstract: Policies are associated with files according to a number of criteria, for example, a file type and a user who created the file. Policies may control when a file can be deleted. In one example, a device includes a computer-readable medium configured to store a file, and a processing unit configured to determine a time of retention for the file specified by a policy associated with the file, receive a request to delete the file, and delete the file in response to the request only after the time of retention for the file specified by the policy has passed. In addition, a file may be subject to a legal hold that prevents the file from being deleted even after the time of retention has passed. Similarly, while a user stores a link to the file, the device may prevent the file from being deleted.

Abstract: Files may be stored by a plurality of director devices. At times, a central director archive may deduplicate a file by removing the file from each of the plurality of director devices that is storing the file. The archive generally stores all files stored by each of the director devices. In one example, a director archive includes a processing unit that generates a list of identifiers of files stored by the director archive device that should be removed from a director device in accordance with policies of the files, wherein the director archive device is configured to store copies of files stored by the director device, and wherein the director device is communicatively coupled to the director archive device, and a network interface that sends the list of identifiers to the director device to cause the director device to delete the files from local storage of the director device.

Abstract: A plurality of users store respective links to a file stored by a director device. When a user edits the file, the director device stores a revised version of the file for the user, without overwriting the original version of the file for the other users. In one example, a device includes a processing unit that stores a file received from the first endpoint and stores an updated version of the file received from the second endpoint, without overwriting an original version of the file as received from the first endpoint device. In response to receiving a request for the file from the first endpoint, the processing unit sends the original version of the file to the first endpoint. In response to receiving a request for the file from the second endpoint, the processing unit sends the updated version of the file to the second endpoint.