<p>Most Exchange Server administrators understand the dangers of allowing users to create PSTfiles. The problem is that PST files have been a core Outlook feature for well over a decade. Sowhat can you do to prevent PST file usage in your organization? Sorry to say that upgrading to Outlook 2013 willnot prevent PST file problems; however, Microsoft has made two changes in Outlook 2013 thatgo a long way to help solve PST fileproblems.</p><p>First, it eliminated the option to create ANSI-based PST files. ANSI PSTfiles were the standard PST file format used from Outlook 97 to Outlook 2002. Microsoft switched toa different PST file structure due to the ANSI format's 2 GB size limit and corruption problems.Even so, ANSI-based PST files were supported until Outlook 2013. Microsoft's decision to eliminatethem won't solve all of your PST woes, but it will help maintain the integrity of any data thathappens to get written to a PST file.</p><p>Second, Microsoft eliminated the option to deliverExchange Server data directly to a PST file. Instead, mailbox data remains in the user'sExchange mailbox, but it's cached to a local OST file so it can be accessed while the user isoffline.</p><p>This particular feature is helpful because some tech-savvy users configure Outlook toautomatically deliver new messages to a PST file. The advantage of doing so is that Exchangemailbox remains empty, allowing end users to completely circumvent mailboxquotas and message retention policies.</p><p><a href="http://searchexchange.techtarget.com/tip/Simple-ways-to-prevent-PST-file-problems-in-Outlook-2013">Keep reading...</a></p>