Incomplete content management puts compliance initiatives at risk

The majority of companies are unable to archive, track and access e-mail, voice or instant messaging despite the fact that 58 percent of CIOs say that e-mail is sometimes their only record of business critical information.

FileNet Corporation, a provider of enterprise content and business process management solutions, has published the results of a survey exploring the compliance strategies of European companies. The survey of 200 CIOs in organisations with turnover in excess of 400 million euros shows that although 78 percent of companies recognise that is it important for them to be able to archive, track and access content as part of their compliance strategies 36 percent are unable to do so.

Unstructured content
Of particular concern is the management of unstructured content. The majority of companies are unable to archive, track and access e-mail, voice or instant messaging despite the fact that 58 percent of CIOs say that e-mail is sometimes their only record of business critical information.

According to the survey, companies need to be able to quickly track the information held within e-mails in order to locate contractual agreements (58 percent), trace advice given to customers (37 percent) or monitor employee communications in the event of a dispute (35 percent).  

Yet many are prevented from doing so when the initial subject of an e-mail trail is not the final subject (52 percent); the information required is held within an attachment rather than the main body of the e-mail (47 percent) or when e-mails are inconsistently filed (42 percent).

Physical documents
Physical document management is also problematic in many companies with 71 percent of CIOs complaining about long retrieval times and the associated loss in business productivity.

Multiple content repositories
The survey also shows that although many regulations require companies to source documents for audit purposes or to monitor the way in which they are used as part of a business process, 61 percent of companies are unable to so when  those documents held in multiple repositories.

•Date: 17th March 2006• Region: UK/W.Europe • Type: Article •Topic: BC statistics
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