Patent ID: 8745232

Claim:
A method for balancing a plurality of electronic mailboxes among a plurality of databases, comprising: comparing an actual utilization value for a first database to an upper threshold utilization value for the first database and, if the actual utilization value of the first database is greater than the upper threshold utilization value of the first database, identifying the first database as over-utilized, wherein the first database is one of the plurality of databases; comparing an actual utilization value for a second database to a lower threshold utilization value for the second database and, if the actual utilization value of the second database is less than the lower threshold utilization value of the second database, identifying the second database as under-utilized, wherein the second database is one of the plurality of databases; comparing an actual usage value of a first electronic mailbox, the first electronic mailbox being one of a plurality of electronic mailboxes stored in the first database, to an upper threshold usage value for the first electronic mailbox and, if the actual usage value of the first electronic mailbox is greater than the upper threshold usage value of the first electronic mailbox, identifying the first electronic mailbox as a heavily-utilized first electronic mailbox; identifying a lightly-utilized second electronic mailbox or a moderately-utilized third mailbox in the second database; moving the heavily-utilized first electronic mailbox to the second database; and moving one of the lightly-utilized second electronic mailbox or the moderately-utilized third mailbox to the first database, wherein electronic mailboxes are moved between the first database and the second database on a one-to-one basis.