Whether a company relies heavily on database activity for critical everyday business operations or only for select requirements, the loss of data due to technological failure can have far reaching negative implications. The loss of valuable information and records can cause productivity setbacks, lost profits, lost customers, and headaches for everyone involved. Aside from the obvious business challenges associated with the loss of data, legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) places requirements on the retention and provision of certain types of financial data. Companies assume the risk of non-compliance if they are unable to produce information within the specified time constraint required by Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) or other information-focused legislation. Database and mainframe disaster recovery is more important in today¹s technology dependent business world than ever before.

When it comes to archiving your company¹s data, the advantages of archiving your information with an outside source include:

• Fast and straightforward deployment with no large out-of-pocket initial expenses.
• If customers don’t like the service, they can simply decline renewing their contract (which usually runs for one to three years), rather than worry about the unwanted hardware and software sitting on their premises.
• Outsourcing is great for companies with no IT department, or a small or overstretched IT department. The service provider handles all heavy-duty aspects of administration, while the customer is left with relatively few tasks.
• By and large, outsourcers are always up-to-date with the latest releases and versions of hardware and software. The upgrade process is more painful and expensive in-house.
• Scalability and dispersed geographic locations can be more easily accommodated by outsourcers than through in-house installations.

Ever increasing data retention requirements have placed monumental pressure on companies, as the software for archiving must be extremely advanced with tremendous capacities and prolonged reliability.

Outsourcing your archival data saves time and money and reduces the risk and complexity of keeping up with such demands. Are there cons to having to outsource your archives? Possibly, but certainly not compared to the value.


Stephen J. Richards has 25 years experience in Data Management and Information Technology. This information is provided as a public service by Neon Enterprise Software, a leading provider of Compliance Software. For more information, please visit http://www.neonesoft.com.