27 April 2009

Research reveals data culture shift

Organisations are changing data management practices to meet new IT priorities

Research reveals data culture shift amongst UK PLC

~ organisations are changing data management practices to meet new IT priorities ~

Nearly half of UK organisations have changed the way they manage data over the last 12 months, according to a survey by Kroll Ontrack, the leading provider of Ontrack® Data Recovery solutions and legal technologies products and services.*

60 per cent of respondents cited that the main reason for modifying data management practices was an increase in the perceived value of electronic information, followed by a heightened importance of data availability and business continuity (40 per cent).

Furthermore, two thirds (66 per cent) stated that the top IT priority for 2009 is to address the challenges posed by the need to maintain data access. Ensuring backups and archives are robust emerged as the top strategy for achieving this essential requirement.

These findings represent a shift in attitude, with over a quarter of respondents (27 per cent) saying that the negative media attention paid to data loss over the past 12 months has prompted them to review their organisations’ data security procedures.

Kroll Ontrack will be exhibiting on stand E85 at Infosecurity Europe at Earls Court, London between 28–30 April. Experts will be advising visitors on data management issues, including how to maximise the security of data throughout its lifecycle, preparing for a data disaster and methodologies for ensuring archives are regularly checked and accessible.

Alastair Molyneux, business development and sales manager at Kroll Ontrack UK, said: “More organisations are now aware of the value of data and the need to manage it correctly. The next step is to help them understand how to do this in an effective manner. For example, maintaining data availability involves identifying information that has to be stored to comply with legislation as well as archiving valuable and proprietary data that may be needed in the future.”

“Kroll Ontrack works with organisations to help identify ways they can improve the management of their data in order to maximise its value. We help them solve the data challenges they face, such as maintaining compliant archives, ensuring effective data security and data loss management,” he added.

NOTES TO EDITORS

*Research conducted online amongst 100 UK business executives in April 2009.