Stoke Poges, Bucks, UK — 7 July 2004 —Growing corporate fears over cybercrime, terrorist attacks and natural disasters are taking their toll on executive stress levels, according to a new survey commissioned by Hitachi Data Systems.
Nearly a third of IT directors polled (30 percent) admitted that data security issues were likely to keep them awake at night. This figure was up by 10 percent since the same survey question was asked six months ago. Concerns about the costs of losing business-critical IT data are also mirrored by an overwhelming emphasis placed on business continuity investment. Some 81 percent of companies surveyed said that safeguarding their IT systems from natural and manmade disasters remained a top spending priority.
These findings are reported in the latest Hitachi Data Systems Storage Index, an independently-conducted poll of large and medium-sized companies throughout Europe, the Middle-East and Africa (EMEA).
"No doubt the recent proliferation of virus attacks, computer theft and terrorist threats have sent blood pressures racing among IT directors everywhere," says John Taffinder, Executive Vice President, EMEA, Hitachi Data Systems. "Inevitably, as companies become ever more reliant on their IT data, so the pressure on IT directors to protect it grows."
The new survey also found that redundancy fears remain high throughout the region. As few as 28 percent of respondents were confident that there would be no more redundancies in their companies over the next two years — compared to 33 percent six months ago. While this suggests continued economic uncertainty, there is also some evidence of a let-up in corporate efficiency pressures. For example, the number of respondents citing cost reduction as a key priority has dropped from 61 percent to 55 percent in six months.
However, IT bosses are also facing additional stresses as a result of new corporate governance and auditing demands. Compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, Basel II and numerous local and industry-specific regulations is now considered an urgent IT investment driver for 37 percent of companies, a jump of six percent in the last year.
"The job of the IT director has clearly not been one for the faint-hearted over the last couple of years — and looking ahead the picture is still rather mixed. There are some encouraging signs that economic pressures are starting to abate, but this is more than offset by increasing security and regulatory worries. Being an IT director is clearly a daunting responsibility," adds John Taffinder.
Research note
This survey was conducted as part of the latest `Hitachi Data Systems Storage Index'. This is an independently-conducted study commissioned and owned by Hitachi Data Systems. Findings are based on 690 anonymous interviews with IT director throughout the EMEA (Europe, Middle-East and Africa) region. The countries surveyed were: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
About Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems leverages global R&D resources to develop storage solutions built on industry-leading technology with the performance, availability and scalability to maximize customers' ROI and minimize their risk. By focusing on the customer's perspective as we apply the best hardware, software, and services from Hitachi and our partners, we uniquely satisfy our customers' business needs.
With 2,800 employees, Hitachi Data Systems conducts business through direct and indirect channels in the public, government and private sectors in over 170 countries and regions. Its customers include more than 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.hds.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 326,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2003 (ended March 31, 2004) consolidated sales totaled 8,632.4 billion yen ($81.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachi.com.
Contacts:
Shirley Virando, Hitachi Data Systems , +44 (0) 1753 618682, shirley.virando@hds.com
© 2003, Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. All other trade names, trademarks, and service marks used herein are the rightful property of their respective owners.
Newsroom
