User-centric interfaces for information management systems

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method of operating a user interface for processing data objects stored in a storage system, the method comprising:

• receiving a query from a user through a user interface for data objects based on object types, wherein:
• the user interface is hosted by a storage manager of an information management system,
• the storage manager includes a computing device configured to track and schedule data management operations for primary computing devices or secondary computing devices within the information management system,
• scheduled data management operations include creating the secondary copies of data objects with the secondary computing devices, from primary copies of data objects generated by the primary computing devices,
• the data objects include personal data objects that include content with a tag indicating that the content is of a personal nature with reference to the user, and include non-personal data objects that include content with a tag indicating that the content relates to a business or an employer of the user and that the content is not of a personal nature with reference to the user,
• displaying a representation of an expandable folder associated with the data objects that satisfy the query and a folder name of the expandable folder that depends on the query and the user, wherein the representation of the folder includes metadata identifying duplicate data objects associated with the folder;
• receiving a request from the user to set a storage policy for the folder related to archiving or retention of the data objects associated with the folder;
• receiving a request from the user to de-duplicate part or all of data objects associated with the folder;
• and
• displaying a client computing device navigator, in the user interface, to enable the user to navigate the retrieved metadata of data objects that satisfy the query, with reference to the user's personal computing devices from which a backup copy of the data objects was created,
• wherein the client computing device navigator displays the user's personal computing devices that the user logged into to access, modify, or create one or more of the data objects that satisfy the query.

A system for providing a unified view of a user's documents or files, across multiple user devices, wherein the system accesses an information management system that manages data for multiple users within an organization, the system comprising:

• at least one memory for storing data;
• at least one data input interface for receiving data input;
• at least one display for displaying data;
• at least one processor, coupled to the memory for storing data, the data input interface for receiving data input, and to the display, wherein:
• the system is communicatively coupled to the information management system to access the user's documents or files;
• the data input interface is hosted by a storage manager of the information management system;
• the storage manager includes a computing device configured to track and schedule data management operations for primary computing devices or secondary computing devices within the information management system;
• the scheduled data management operations include creating the secondary copies of data objects with the secondary computing devices, from primary copies of data objects generated by the primary computing devices;
• the user's documents or files are provided from multiple devices of the user, so that the system provides a unified view, via the display, of the user's documents or files across the multiple devices of the user;
• the multiple devices are displayed to the user with user-friendly names rather than logical pathnames;
• the user's documents or files are displayed with file and folder hierarchies flattened out so that the user's documents or files are retrieved and displayed, regardless in which folders the user's documents or files are stored,
• the display of the user's documents or files includes a device identifier for one of the multiple devices on which the documents or files are stored;
• the system displays at least one secondary copy of data stored, not on one of the multiple devices, but stored remotely and accessible by the system;
• the display of the user's documents or files are de-duplicated so that only one copy is of each similar document or file displayed to the user;
• and,
• the system displays a client computing device explorer, in the uccr data input interface, to enable the user to explore retrieved metadata of data objects that satisfy a search criteria, with reference to the user's personal client computing devices from which a secondary copy of the data objects was created, wherein the data objects include personal data objects that include content with a tag indicating that the content is of a personal nature with reference to the user, and include non-personal data objects that include content with a tag indicating that the content relates to a business or an employer of the user and that the content is not of a personal nature with reference to the user,
• the client computing device explorer displays the user's personal computing devices that the user logged into to access, modify, or create one or more of the data objects that satisfy the search criteria.