IT Spend
Many organisations today have a huge investment in Data Storage systems; these can be in the form of RAID, Fibre Channel Networks, Network Attached Storage, Backup/Management software, Server virtualisation etc.
- Have you ever wondered how much money has been spent on IT over the last 2 years?
- How much time has been spent managing these solutions?
- How many problems have they solved?
- How many problems have they created?
- Did you make the right choice?
- Are your current suppliers solving your problems?
EMail Servers
Today almost all business communication takes place using email, documents, quotes, orders and message requests are sent and analysed daily via email. These emails are a means of communication between individuals, companies and departments that create an action or agreement to carry out a transaction.
The email server is the lifeblood of the organisation and when it fails everyone knows. A mail server is essentially a routing device for receiving/forwarding messages; it was never designed to be used to store Gigabytes of file attachments and messages. These emails slow down the access of mail and cause problems for backup.
Many organisations put mailbox quota limits of user’s mailboxes in order to get users to purge older messages to free up mail space, it is said that this housekeeping exercise can take 30-45 minutes per day per user. This could cause concern should a specific email be required to provide evidence in a court case or tribunal. An alternative is to create .PST files; these are effectively archives of sent/received emails. The problem with these is that they cannot be indexed or searched, unless they are re-introduced to the email server. Over time, these PST files create a huge storage problem of where to put them and what they contain and randomly become corrupted when they reach 1.5GB, this is not reported to the IT department.
High profile cases, such as Enron, have been reliant on proving who knew what and when, and have required the examination of email history. An increasing number of everyday court proceedings also rely on email evidence, which can be used for or against an organisation. For instance, when investment banker Frank Quattrone sent an email message urging members of his technology sector banking group at Credit Suisse First Boston to “clean up” their files during a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, this caused considerable embarrassment to the organization and led to Quattrone being charged with obstructing federal grand jury and SEC investigations.
Email is generally “context poor” – an email message itself usually gives little indication as to its importance. More often than not it is an event or incident that determines the importance of an email; for example, a seemingly benign email can take on a whole new meaning when viewed in the context of a sexual harassment case.
It is for this reason a “keep everything” regime for email is the most cost effective way to ensure compliance and minimize risk. Of course, this can mean storing tens of millions of emails and attachments all of which is pointless unless the content is securely stored and can be easily and exhaustively searched and retrieved. Until recently conventional technology has not supported a ‘keep everything’ approach.
File Servers
A file server is by definition a computer dedicated for storing files. These files can be shared areas or dedicated user areas and contain a wide variety of differing file types. It is easy for users to create files or bring files/images in from outside the company and keep them on the file servers, knowing full well that the IT department will backup this data. It is estimated that over 60% of offensive information is brought into offices via the front door on notebooks, PDA’s, portable music devices, memory sticks and digital cameras.
Due to the digital age these files are easy to create, manipulate, view and email to many users in an organisation both internally and externally. Regardless of which industry an organisation is in, or even its location, the management of data is becoming a critical business issue. An ever-growing number of establishments are required by regulations to archive and control access to their communications, and to maintain and store electronic data – including digital information – in a secure manner. In addition to compliance, companies need to understand how records – files and email messages – are managed; consideration must also be given to how this information is accessed, as part of a discovery process.
