A survey commissioned by Hitachi Data Systems has stated
that new corporate accountability regulations require more
recording and monitoring of staff e-mails and instant
messaging.
The survey, which covered organisations across Europe, the
Middle East and some countries in Africa found that more than half
of firms routinely monitor employees’ e-mail messages and even more
archive all e-mails.
More than a third of companies also monitor IM communications,
while the vast majority have put in place explicit staff guidelines
for both e-mail and IM use.
This introduction of new corporate accountability regulations,
such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, has led many companies to review
their electronic communications policies. This is particularly true
in heavily regulated industries such as financial services, where
companies face severe penalties for failing to comply with
communications auditing requirements.
"Over the next year or so, we expect to see most companies
making significant investments in e-mail management systems and
similar technology," says Fanie van Rensburg, managing director of
Shoden Data Systems, the local distributor of Hitachi Data
Systems.
According to HDS, the introduction of stricter e-mail management
is also seen as key to minimising the storage costs associated with
spiralling volumes of messages. A recent HDS survey found that
e-mail messages, including attachments, can take up more than 40%
of a company’s data storage capacity.
The survey also raises serious concerns over the length of time
companies retain e-mail and IM data. Although emerging regulations
stipulate that electronic communications are archived for anything
up to eight years, fewer than one in five firms retain e-mail
messages for more than three years.
Written by
Computing SA staff