Poll reveals IT managers' e-mail archiving concerns

By Joan Goodchild, News Writer 29 Nov 2005 | SearchWinIT.com

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

The desire for improved data management and data recovery is driving many IT managers to buy e-mail archiving products. Yet, despite concerns about compliance and litigation, many still do not see e-mail archiving as a priority.

An ongoing online poll conducted by SearchExhange.com asked IT administrators to weigh in on their primary motivation for implementing an e-mail archiving product. Out of almost 100 administrators who responded, 36% said better data management and recovery was the driving factor for purchasing an archiving system.

"We do a lot of our order taking through e-mail, so we need to be able to retrieve information quickly," said Gary DeSando, a systems analyst with Brockway-Smith Company (Brosco), a millwork products distributor based in Andover, Mass. "We're trying to plan for a worst-case scenario."

Other users also want to plan for the future, but their concerns hinge more on the possibility of lawsuits, fines or worse. Citing existing laws, about 16% gave Sarbanes-Oxley or HIPAA as the reason they are putting a message archive system in place. About 18% said litigation concerns had them looking into archive products.

"You can still get in a lot of trouble, even though this stuff isn't very clear," said Mark Diamond, president of Contoural Inc., a data and storage consulting firm in Los Altos, Calif.

More stories on this topic: E-mail archiving: Hot or not? One size doesn't fit all e-mail archive policies and products

Yet, despite the implications of failing to comply with legislation, 29% said they currently have no plans to implement an e-mail archiving product. For some, the reason for passing on archive products is simple: Not everyone needs to archive their messages.

"We don't have the statutory requirements," said J. Phillip Miller, a professor and senior member of the IT management department at Washington University in St. Louis. "Now, some people archive e-mail forever and ever, but we don't have to."

Results for the poll are ongoing. Users can weigh in at SearchExchange.com.

Tags: Industry,  Microsoft Exchange Server Email Archiving,  VIEW ALL TAGS

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Industry Tackling the social messaging dilemma Microsoft drops free migration tool for Exchange 2010 Microsoft reverses support plan for Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2008 R2 Virtualize Exchange Server 2007 -- without losing your job Exchange Server 2007 SP2 adds auditing, backup Avoid these Exchange Server migration pitfalls Microsoft readies Exchange Server 2010 release candidate Virtualizing Exchange Server 2007 -- Where it works Microsoft updates Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Microsoft fortifies Exchange Server with archiving Microsoft Exchange Server Email Archiving Exchange Server 2010 bows with improved recovery The importance of lifecycle planning for Exchange email archives Relocating Outlook email messages on a hosted Exchange 2007 server Email archiving: Planning, policies and product selection Exchange Server 2010 public beta rolls out new features Microsoft Exchange Server email archiving tutorial Exchange Server 2007: Email archiving tips and hosted services trends Does Microsoft SharePoint make a good email archiving solution? Microsoft fortifies Exchange Server with archiving Securing your Exchange Server 2007 journaling archives Microsoft Exchange Server Email Archiving Research

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary ArchiveSink  (SearchExchange.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary