Besides for testing, when would you add additional vaults? Seems other departments could be just handled with folders and permissions. Just curious what others might do.
Do multiple vaults share any data at all from the sql DB?
How do people handle testing a new version like 2010? Seems like you would have to have a separate server. How do you copy over the production environment to test the upgrade. Is licensing an issue?
Additional vaults come in handy for departments that won't need a lot of maintenance. We use an additional vault for documentation, as they are only adding two file types and they don't need any complicated workflows or permissions. Plus, we don't need that vault replicated.
Additional vaults do not share any data at all from the DB.
I handle testing with virtual servers. (VMWare.) I don't generally test the upgrade. If it worked for beta then it will work for production. (I hope.)