Data management will be priority in 2009

Privacy will need to be considered if employers want to adopt social networking in the workplace, says Deloitte

Changes relating to different aspects of data management have been highlighted as key trends in the IT industry for 2009 in a report by consultancy Deloitte.

The falling price of digital storage has caused an irresponsible approach to file management and IT leaders will need to give an increased focus to these issues, says Deloitte, along with finding ways around the rise in physical storage costs.

“There are ways to control the escalation of storage costs, such as de-duplication tools that can free up space by reducing duplicate files,” says the report.

“Companies can assess the impact of individual applications, especially email – which is estimated to take up 25 per cent of enterprise storage capacity,” it says.

According to Deloitte’s research, businesses will become increasingly aggressive when pursuing disputes related to copyright infringement and digital ownership rights.

“If undertaking a swift launch of a product or digital application, companies should ensure that no element could lead to litigation,” says the report.

Despite pointing out that 2009 will be the break-out year for social networks in the business, Deloitte says that such networks will need to be developed with caution to encourage more productivity and balance control with employees’ desire for privacy.