Forecasting how much data storage space a computer, system, or data center will need in the future, near or far, can be tricky. On the one hand, you don't want to bring in too much storage capacity unnecessarily and tie up money that you could use elsewhere. On the other hand, running out of storage space could mean system interruptions and higher last-minute prices. The trick is to find a happy medium where you will have the right amount of disk space over a specific time frame and a clear plan of when storage space should increase or decrease.
Most HDD manufacturers have disk capacity planning tools you can use to forecast your storage needs in the future. There are also several system management software packages that include a capacity planning function (see the following screenshot). However, before you begin forecasting future needs,...