Data worries hit Euro firms

Fire, computer viruses and human error top the list of data storage worries for European businesses, according to a survey by Hitachi Data Systems (HDS).

Businesses’ fears for the safety of their data look set to continue as the vendor discovered that 78 per cent of respondents expect their data volumes to increase over the next two years, thanks largely to email. The survey questioned 800 IT directors.

Michael Vath, general manager at HDS EMEA, said: “Regulatory compliance and a greater array of business threats are driving the market. Companies are facing an ever-increa ing data burden, with mounting legislation demanding the retention and storage of data.”

The report also discovered that 82 per cent of respondents had a disaster recovery strategy in place, with 65 per cent having a remote disaster recovery site for extra security. In a separate report, HDS found that the amount of digital information created will grow by 30 per cent in the next two years.

Philipp Wagner, account director at analyst firm GfK, said: “There is still a great need for back-up and the SME space presents the biggest opportunity for channel partners to market disaster recovery tools and services.”