Tools for Change: A Five-Step Framework to Align IT with Business Company Data Security Goals

Company Data Security:

Common Defensive Maneuvers
Today, many IT managers are plagued relentlessly by complex issues with company data security that keep them and their organizations in constant fire fighting mode. They often find themselves using precious staff resources to correct ongoing availability or restore problems that are highly visible to the organization, yet relatively unimportant in the larger scheme of managing IT systems. In the face of exponential data growth, IT outsourcing, server consolidation, flattened IT budgets, and company reorganizations, IT managers and their staff often seem to be put on the defense to company data security, with most under the gun to simply ensure basic services delivery.

In response to a recent study by UK analyst firm CSC that showed only 7 percent of companies questioned claimed to have a technology plan properly aligned with their corporate company data security strategy, Meta Group analyst Brian Burke said he was not surprised. "Many IT management groups are simply victims.

Burke claimed that many IT departments don't do the basics right and don't provide an adequate level of service to the rest of the company. This has an impact on the way they are perceived to have company data security, reducing their credibility to the point that they lose their place on the panel or board where the strategic decisions are made.

IT company data security infrastructures have also become increasingly complex, with corporate acquisitions fueling a dispersion of assets across widening geographic locations.

In the area of backup and recovery alone, one poll5 revealed that 36 percent of IT respondents considered their biggest backup problem to be not knowing if they were backing up all of the company data that they should be. Another 24 percent indicated their biggest concern was whether or not they would be able to recover any data if they needed to do so.

There appears to be good reason for IT professionals to be concerned. Research from an industry analyst firm confirms IT's worst fears about company data security and its ability to recover critical data in the event of anemergency. According to the same source as the above poll,6 the Enterprise Storage Group believes that as much as 60 percent of all backups performed in today's network environments are not successfully completed.

A New Breed of IT: Turning Defense into Offense (company data security)
More than ever when company data security is concerned, CIOs and their staff are being pressed to account for new projects and demonstrate real results of their ongoing investments in infrastructure and processes. Yet in the face of these mounting challenges, Bocada is witnessing the emergence of a new breed of IT manager -- individuals actively choosing to move beyond fire fighting mode, and lead their organizations in support of their company's evolving corporate strategies.

In rising to the challenge to company data security, these leaders are proactively embracing opportunities to reshape their company's perceptions of the IT organization. Bocada has seen these individuals move beyond reactive mode, and regain control and confidence in their organization's abilities to address the business needs of its internal and external customers.