Research sponsored by VERITAS Software Corp. shows deficiencies in current e-mail system management and backup and recovery methods, placing businesses at risk and causing undue stress in the workplace. Nearly half of the respondents to an independent study conducted across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, say they would have difficulty retrieving particular e-mail messages if requested. More than a third of the IT staff questioned find the loss of e-mail more traumatic than events such as a car accident or getting a divorce.
With the rapid adoption of e-mail as the primary vehicle for business communications, e-mail has become as mission-critical a business application as ERP, CRM or other back office software. Additionally, regulations under consideration around the Middle East have accelerated the burden placed on IT departments to effectively store and manage corporate e-mail.
While 99 percent of companies today report that they back up e-mail and attachments, research shows that 56 percent of these companies have at least some of their e-mail locations excluded from automated back-up. And while 39 percent of respondents think e-mail could be used as legal evidence for or against their company, 46 percent say it would be difficult to locate and retrieve a particular e-mail on the system if it was requested.
Results of this study also indicate respondent awareness that mismanagement of electronic communications can put businesses at risk. Five percent of those surveyed say e-mail and attachments already have been used as legal evidence for or against their company, and 15 percent know of government regulations stipulating a length of time for storing e-mail - varying from 2 months to 15 years.
Yet, while 92 percent of the organizations surveyed claim to have the ability to recover e-mails, research reveals that only one-fifth (18 percent) can recover e-mails from further back than a year, 30 percent are able to recover back only to one month, and a staggering 11 percent can only recover from the previous week or less.
“In many regulated industries, e-mail is the primary communications tool,” said Peter A. Gerr, senior research analyst, Enterprise Storage Group. “By failing to have adequate procedures and systems in place to ensure appropriate retention and security mandates are met, both IT organizations and business leaders are unnecessarily exposing themselves to legal ramifications which could place their business at risk.”
Arab News Compunet 26 August 2003
