Regulatory and legal pressures to drive ILM adoption

Litigation and regulation are pushing enterprises into adopting new information lifecycle management solutions

A new survey of SAP users suggests increased data regulation and legislation is the primary driver for the adoption of information lifecycle management (ILM) strategies.

Software and services company Macro 4 questioned 177 organisations that are using SAP solutions for its survey, entitled A Macro 4 Study: Attitudes to ILM from users of SAP solutions.

When asked what the key factors driving the implementation of ILM strategies were, some 56 per cent of respondents referred to the need to support regulatory compliance. Furthermore, 45 per cent felt ILM would help them avoid the high cost of retrieving data for legal purposes.

Similarly, 88 per cent of participants said that over the next decade they expect a significant increase in the amount of regulation governing the storage and management of data.

Some 52 per cent also argued that business litigation, which forces companies to exercise strict control over data relating to legal cases, is also on the increase.

"The businesses we talked to in our research are resigned to more regulation and litigation," said Lynda Kershaw, UK marketing manager at Macro 4.

"Information lifecycle management makes it easier for organisations to manage information over the course of its lifetime," she said.

"This management includes ensuring documents and data are retained in line with statutory requirements and remain accessible for audit or legal reasons many years after they were created. Not forgetting to ensure the information is responsibly destroyed at end of life - another important compliance issue," Kershaw added.