Applimation and Enterprise Strategy Group Research show gaps in businesses database archiving strategies

30 Pedabytes of Database Information to be Archived by 2012, Yet Nearly Half of Respondents Do Not Employ Compliant Data Retrieval Technology

Chicago, IL – March 17, 2008 – Applimation, Inc., the leading provider of enterprise data management solutions for Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, Siebel and custom applications, announced today the results of a recent survey showing that primary production databases are expected to grow by 25 percent each year over the next four years.  The survey, which was conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), a leading IT analyst firm, reveals that the amount of archived data will grow to exceed more than 30 pedabytes of database information. With this enormous increase in archived information, businesses must deploy increasingly sophisticated archiving and retrieval technology or risk of losing control of their data, which can lead to problems in application performance, data security, compliance, and e-discovery.

In ESG’s 2007 Database Archiving Survey, researchers discovered that 95 percent of businesses retain confidential information within their primary database instances, and the majority of businesses retain archived database information for four to ten years. Another surprising finding was that 63 percent of businesses archive database records to meet government and industry regulations. The survey also revealed that more than half of database content is considered to be inactive, and with nearly half of all respondents indicating their only archiving process involves backup copies on tape (only 12 percent maximize efficiency and security by creating a data subset on disk).  ESG warns that businesses are losing control of sensitive data, which can lead to serious consequences.

“Database storage costs and risk associated with poorly protecting and retaining information will increase substantially if organizations don’t look for more efficient archiving methods,” said Brian Babineau, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group.  “Our research clearly shows that companies should evaluate their data management strategy and make searchable archiving and subsetting a top business priority, especially in an era where companies need real-time access to information for regulatory compliance and e-discovery.”

With Applimation’s Informia Suite, companies can easily manage database size, security and control. Applimation Informia Archive allows enterprises to control structured and unstructured data through flexible archiving and purge functionality to quickly reduce the size of their ERP production databases for optimal application performance. A policy-based module allows companies to define data retention rules by time period, ERP module and other criteria to achieve their desired results. Informia Archive separates active from inactive data and retires the inactive data in order to reclaim valuable data space. Pre-defined business rules protect the archived data from unauthorized use and a seamless access layer enables users to search for historical data when needed.

“ESG’s survey revealed compelling and specific findings that validate the need for companies to proactively manage the growth of their databases,” said Bob Markese, CEO of Applimation. “Applimation offers a robust, cost-effective archive solution that enables companies to achieve operational efficiency while satisfying retention and accessibility requirements.”

In addition to archiving solutions, Applimation offers Informia Secure, an automated solution that protects data from the inside out during application development and QA. Informia Secure provides a comprehensive and flexible set of algorithms that can be used to mask or “obfuscate” sensitive data while retaining its integrity for testing. 

About Applimation

Applimation is a leading provider of enterprise application data management solutions for Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, Siebel and custom applications across multiple database platforms.  The Applimation Informia™ solution enables organizations to manage the growth of structured and unstructured data to achieve Information Lifecycle Management objectives, improve operational efficiency, reduce total cost of ownership and meet compliance requirements.  The company’s InfoShuttle® solutions deliver a flexible and efficient environment to provision, manage and secure data in development, test and training environments. For more information, visit www.applimation.com.