Enterprise info management critical, but not priority.

• Position: EIM - Brief article

Although business executives are generally well aware that information is an asset and that poorly managed information can be a potential legal and competitive liability, making enterprise information management (EIM) a reality is another story.

According to the OpenText white paper "Unleashing the Power of Information," a recent IDG Research survey of nearly 140 chief information officers (CIOs) and other IT and business executives showed that the majority believe in the benefits EIM can deliver, such as better data access and analysis, reduced costs, and better alignment of IT with business objectives. Yet only 67% of the organizations represented said they treat EIM as a strategic priority.

Part of the challenge is the overwhelming volume of unstructured data organizations are generating. According to the white paper, it is estimated that up to 80% of the information produced in organizations today is found in documents, e-mails, social media, slide presentations, videos, and other unstructured data formats. This information is often mission-critical and resides in a number of different locations and...