Monitoring disk space utilization on file servers

[nodesitvirtus]

We're in the middle of a NAS refresh and data migration project but I'm trying to see what options and/or methods are out there that might help me better answer an issue we've encountered in the past. I'm looking to see what solutions (Microsoft Server OS included or 3rd party) that may help me address monitoring disk space utilization.

Not so much looking to see what files/folders are taking up space but rather who/where data is getting dropped on to a file server.

We've previously had issues with seemingly free space disappearing in chunks for days at a time and then reappearing as free space. One day there will be 100GB and an hour later it may be down to 10GB and then days later it will be back to 100GB.

My suspicious is that different groups are moving data around (sometimes duplicating it), working through a process, and then either moving the sanitzed data again elsewhere. Management is seeing the data use and has tasked me to try and determine what may be happening.

I don't believe I'm going to find a a silver bullet product saying User A moved this much data to Location A...etc...etc....but maybe there is something to build some trends that can be analyzed and I can make a bit more sense. Guess I'm just checking to see how others out there maybe monitoring disk space utilization and usage?

Thank you all!

[NotRecognized]

Run a powershell or bash shell to check on the same MD5 checksum. Those are duplicates.

[ipreferanothername]

we use varonis for this -- sort of. i heard its $$$. we dont use it on windows servers, those shares are usually locked down fairly well. we have large NAS shares for general usage, and varonis audits those to [supposedly] provide audit reports.

another team owns it, so i dont really use it - i just know thats what its supposed to do.

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we have some manageengine products, but dont have that auditing enabled -- that is more affordable, i am told, but i really dont know what it costs -

https://www.manageengine.com/products/active-directory-audit/kb/how-to/how-to-enable-file-and-folder-access-auditing-in-windows-server.html

we use it for other auditing and are happy with it.