Capterra Glossary
A personal storage table (PST) is a data file format that Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange Client, and Windows Messaging use to store messages, attachments, contacts, and other business communications data. Business professionals often use PST files to store emails and included attachments on their computer’s local hard drive. This gives company employees offline access to their Microsoft Outlook email communications and contact book, thereby reducing the amount of data stored on their email server.
Businesses encourage employees to use encryption services when storing PST files on their local hard drive to ensure security of sensitive company communications.
Small and midsize companies often enforce email quotas for employees to ensure that their email servers do not run out of storage space. A fully stacked email server wouldn’t let employees receive and store new emails. Small corporations that use Microsoft Outlook for email communications often encourage their administrative employees to use PST files to save important emails on their computer’s local hard drive or corporate file server to free up space on the company email server.