Neuxpower Expands Software To Cut 'File Bloat' In Large Files

Neuxpower Solutions on Tuesday is planning to officially launch new server-based editions of its software for slashing the size of Microsoft Office and JPEG files and the amount of bandwidth and storage capacity required to e-mail such files.

Unlike deduplication or compression, Neuxpower’s new NXPowerLite for File Servers cuts the size of large files by optimizing images, charts and other graphics within other documents such as PowerPoint presentations while making those files available for further use via their native applications, said Mike Power, CEO of the Philadelphia-based vendor.

NXPowerLite is aimed at cutting file bloat, the one part of storage growth that is most often overlooked, Power said.

’File bloat is unneeded data in a file, such as excessive file resolution,’ he said. ’For instance, digital photos can be huge files, and when put in a PowerPoint, can be stored with too high a resolution. Our software can automatically reset the resolution. There’s no visual difference, but there’s a huge difference in the amount of data.’

Other examples of file bloat include files that are saved using the ’fast save’ feature, which just adds changes to a file at the end, or embedded objects such as Excel spreadsheets. Power said embedding part of an Excel spreadsheet in a PowerPoint presentation results in attaching the entire spreadsheet instead of just the visible portion.

Because files are optimized for size instead of compression or deduplication, they can be accessed without the need to ’Unzip’ them with decompression or other special software, Power said.

NXPowerLite works by removing unneeded data while ensuring that the optimization does not impact the readability of the file, Power said. It does this by drawing on the experience of more than 1 million current users of the desktop version of its software to refine and test what can be removed from a file.

Power, citing an independent study by the annual Trident Warrior FORCEnet Sea Trial Event of the U.S., British, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand navies, said PowerPoint files can be reduced by an average of 84 percent, Excel files by 76 percent and Microsoft Word files by 68 percent. Customers have reported an average reduction in primary storage of 30 percent to 40 percent, he said.

Next: Partnering With Neuxpower

Kevin Askew, senior sales manager at Programmers Paradise, a Shrewsbury, N.J.-based software solution provider, said he worked with Neuxpower’s solution internally at his previous company, and that his IT people said it significantly cut down on storage requirements.

’It cut down a lot on file storage, especially with a large number of spreadsheets going back and forth over e-mail,’ Askew said. ’We’ll implement it at Programmers Paradise as well as resell it.’

The potential market for the software is widespread, Askew said.

Explaining the difference between deduplication and compression and Neuxpower’s file optimization can sometimes be difficult when talking to purchasing departments, Askew said.

’But the IT guys will say, yeah, I know what you mean,’ he said.

Neuxpower’s application has been available in a desktop version for years, and allows files to be optimized before attaching as part of an e-mail, Power said.

New this week is a Small Business File Server edition, which does file optimization on primary storage. It is priced at $799 per server. The Server edition adds scheduling and other features, and costs $2,499 per server.

Neuxpower has about 50 resellers in the U.S., Power said. It is distributed via Lifeboat Distribution, which is owned by the same company that owns Programmers Paradise.

The company is looking to recruit new partners, and is looking for solution providers with storage experience, he said.