Your data isn`t immune to long arm of the law

Jim Holland, Axiz Product Manager: HP ESG, says the benefits of a document retention policy are tied in with the requirements of a business. Beyond legal compliance, data retention helps an organisation to demonstrate good corporate governance, which is increasingly important today.

Compliance hits at the core of data storage and pushes examination of it further into the organisation. Companies are now challenged with how to build an IT infrastructure that retains data over long periods of time, keeps it in its original format, and ensures it can easily be recovered at any time.

Holland says worldwide talk about data storage compliance and corporate governance regulations has overwhelmed organisations of all sizes and has made them more accountable for the data they collect and store.

Another consideration in the scramble to comply is how to do so in an environmentally friendly manner. It is important to bear in mind that as the world becomes greener, so will the data centre. Companies will be looking to minimise their footprint, which will probably lead to the continued increase in technologies like virtualisation. Businesses will also look for applications that streamline operations for greater efficiency.

"It`s not just the major regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There are thousands of regulations that affect data storage, backup and protection across a range of industries. But, in spite of the many regulations, there are no mandates or guidelines that dictate implementation. I believe that the key to many compliance issues is to define a policy based on business and legal concerns, and then to implement that policy in the IT department. Without the policies, the storage people are in a vacuum. It`s not their call to determine the legality of data storage."

Companies, he adds, mustn`t view legislation as something that has been created to catch them out. Revamping processes shouldn`t be done just to dodge bureaucratic bullets, but should be seen as an opportunity to create a compliance-driven IT architecture. Alongside operational efficiency, such as the systematic archiving of financial data, e-mail and other important records, businesses could also expect to see reduced risk to business continuity as well as a greater trust in their brand as a result of compliance.

"Data retention helps to manage and reduce storage costs, ensure a consistent approach across all sites and locations, and improve operational efficiency. In today`s ever-changing business climate, organisations must, however, ensure their data policies are in line with legal requirements," Holland concludes.