A document deleted from a network share is gone. Recovering it means opening an IT ticket, waiting days, and hoping the backup is recent enough. Most teams give up and recreate the file from scratch — at an estimated cost of $220 per lost document. infoRouter's multi-layer recycle bin eliminates that risk by preserving every deleted document with its full metadata, security settings, and version history intact.
Users restore their own files in seconds. No IT ticket required.
How the Multi-Layer Recycle Bin Works
infoRouter uses two layers of protection against accidental deletion:
Layer 1: User-Level Recycle Bins
When a user deletes a document, it moves to their personal recycle bin — not into oblivion. Everything is preserved:
- Full document content and all previous versions
- Metadata, custom properties, and classification
- Ownership and security permissions
- Audit trail entries
Users see only their own recycle bin. They can browse, search, and restore items to the original location or a new folder — no administrator involvement needed.
Layer 2: System Recycle Bin
"I deleted an entire folder, then emptied my recycle bin."
No problem. Documents emptied from user recycle bins move to the system recycle bin, where a SYSADMIN can still recover them. This second layer catches the cases where someone cleans up too aggressively.
- SYSADMIN has visibility across all user recycle bins system-wide
- All metadata, ownership, and security information is retained
- Configurable automatic purge intervals balance storage use with recovery windows
Why This Matters
Research findings indicate that companies spend $20 in labor to file a document, $120 to find a misfiled document, and $220 to reproduce a lost document. Those costs compound every time someone accidentally deletes a file and nobody can recover it quickly.
With infoRouter's recycle bin:
- Users recover their own documents without waiting for IT
- Administrators have a safety net even after users empty their bins
- Audit trails and version history survive deletion, so nothing is truly lost
- Advanced search within the recycle bin means you can find deleted documents by keyword, name, or metadata — not just by remembering the exact file path
What Gets Preserved
Unlike file recovery software that may or may not retrieve a usable file, infoRouter preserves the complete document record:
- Current and all previous versions
- Full audit log of every action taken on the document
- Security settings and folder permissions
- Associated tasks and metadata
When a document is restored, it returns exactly as it was.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can users restore their own deleted documents without contacting IT?
- Yes. Each user has a personal recycle bin where their deleted documents are stored. They can browse, search, and restore items to the original location or a new folder without any administrator involvement.
- What happens if a user empties their personal recycle bin?
- Documents emptied from a user's recycle bin move to the system recycle bin, where a SYSADMIN can still recover them. This second layer catches cases where someone cleans up too aggressively.
- Is the version history preserved when a document is deleted and restored?
- Yes. All previous versions, the full audit log, security settings, metadata, custom properties, and associated tasks are preserved. When restored, the document returns exactly as it was.
- Can I search for a deleted document if I don't remember the file path?
- Yes. The recycle bin supports advanced search, so you can find deleted documents by keyword, name, or metadata rather than needing to remember the exact file path.
- Does the system recycle bin grow indefinitely, or can storage be managed?
- The system recycle bin has configurable automatic purge intervals, allowing administrators to balance storage use with recovery windows.
See the Recycle Bin in Action
Schedule a demo and we will walk through a deletion-and-recovery scenario using your own document types.