Information law still a mystery to channel
Resellers unprepared for Freedom of Information Act, legal firm warns
The channel is unprepared for the Freedom of Information Act, with smaller VARs potentially suffering the most from its implications, according to legal firm Morgan Cole.
The Act, which came into force on 1 January, gives the public the right to obtain information from public authorities.
"Suppliers to the public sector are ill-prepared. They may not realise that confidential information, such as pricing or licensing terms, falls under the Act," said Tamzin Matthew, an associate solicitor at Morgan Cole.
"It will be hardest for the smallest channel players to get to grips with the Act because they don't have resources such as their own legal departments."
Matthew said channel firms should contact the Information Commissioner's Office for advice on what type of information public authorities are required to disclose regarding their dealings with suppliers.
However, she added that the channel will also benefit from the legislation.
"The public sector will be begging for document management systems. It doesn't have a great history of good document management. The channel will be well placed to provide different markets with the technology they need to comply with the Act," she said.
Karl Oertel, operations director at IT services provider Iteba, agreed. "Freedom of Information will lead to more business for us. Both the public and private sectors need to know where their information is and how quickly it can be retrieved," he said.
"As a direct result, there will be more activity in the channel, particularly in the document management space."
However, Oertel admitted that while the legislation could change the way information is stored and accessed in the short term, its long-term effects will be much less noticeable.