As e-commerce moves from dream to reality and the worldwide volume of computer-based transactions grows at an exponential rate, IT security is a greater concern than ever. As the world`s reliance on data increases, so does the pressure on IT managers to protect that data.
While that is quite understandable, who would ever have thought that the fear alone could be as much a problem and a threat as the cybercrime, terror attacks and natural disasters causing the fear in the first place?
However strange that may seem, I was amused to read that a new survey commissioned by Hitachi Data Systems reveals it`s true. The survey found that IT security is a major cause of executive stress, having a negative impact on the health of those affected.
The independently conducted Hitachi Data Systems Storage Index survey shows nearly 30% of the 690 IT directors interviewed in large and medium-sized companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa admitted that data security issues were likely to keep them awake at night. This figure is up 10% on a similar survey conducted six months previously.
In addition to all the traditional threats to data security, IT executives are burdened with further stresses as a result of new corporate governance and auditing demands. The Hitachi survey report says compliance with various new local and international ICT industry regulations is now considered an urgent IT investment driver for 37% of companies, representing an increase of 6% in the past year.
Who would have thought that the fear alone could be as much a problem and a threat as the cybercrime, terror attacks and natural disasters causing the fear in the first place?
Warwick Ashford, technology editor, ITWeb
Considering all the pressures, it is easy to be sympathetic with stressed out IT directors. However, considering the plethora of solutions, it all seems rather silly. After reading the survey report, it occurred to me that fear of data loss is a bit like superstition. It is something totally unnecessary with which the affected parties burden themselves like a bad habit.
I was able to jettison superstition at a reasonably young age after observing how difficult superstitious people make their own lives for no good reason whatever. Similarly, having attended many briefing sessions by various IT security vendors about failsafe methods of preventing data loss, it would seem pointless to lose any sleep over data loss when it is so easily prevented.
Surely the solution is obvious? Put a decent disaster recovery (DR) plan in place and there is no longer any need to worry.
If the solution really is as simple as putting a DR plan in place, how does one make sense of the fact that 54% of European companies did not have a formal disaster plan to cover all their existing IT infrastructure by the end of 2003? A survey commissioned by Unisys also showed that 18% of European companies did not even have a DR plan at that time.
Assuming most companies have finally realised the business value of the contents of their IT systems and have allocated funds for data protection accordingly, we need to look beyond budget constraints to explain the anomalies exposed by the Hitachi and Unisys surveys.
Are many IT directors ignorant, do they think all DR specialists are lying about the infallibility of their solutions, or is worry-related stress simply a bad habit we humans find difficult to break?
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