Storage-capacity planning worksheet
Plan storage around the data you already use and the growth you expect over a period you choose. Record current usage, additional gigabytes per month and any working-space reserve separately. This produces an explicit capacity scenario instead of assuming that a particular drive size will suit every project.
Plan backup space separately from the primary working copy. Enter how many full copies your scenario includes and an additional allowance for retained backup history, then compare each requirement with the usable space you have available. The result is a capacity calculation, not a guarantee that a backup process works or that the growth assumption will be accurate.
This tool does not save your entries automatically. Download a copy to keep your work, and clear the worksheet on a shared device before leaving. Do not enter passwords, account numbers or other sensitive personal information.
Using your worksheet
- Record current usage from the systems you are planning for, using one consistent measurement basis.
- Enter growth and reserve as assumptions you can revise rather than forecasts.
- Keep primary capacity and backup capacity separate; do not count the same free space twice.
- Review the scenario after actual usage changes.
Assumptions and limits
No compression, deduplication or future storage saving is assumed.
Additional backup history is an entered total across the planned copies.
Capacity alone does not establish backup reliability, independence or recoverability.