15 Jun 2009

Business continuity 'boosted through investment'

Firms are better prepared to weather a crisis when they maintain investment in data storage technologies, it has been argued.

Carla Arend, program manager for European infrastructure software at IDC, said that many firms are attempting improvements in data storage efficiency during the economic downturn.

However, reductions in IT budgets is having a detrimental effect on many company's ability to embrace new technologies, which in turn could be putting their long-term business continuity in jeopardy.

She noted: "It's only a short-term strategy so if they continue to do that throughout the year then at some point it will negatively impact their ability to do business because they will put their infrastructure at risk."

According to figures compiled by IDC, the worldwide data storage market witnessed its first drop in global demand for 21 quarters in the first three months of this year.

Overall, worldwide spending on data storage technology fell by 5.2 per cent to $2.8 billion (£1.77 billion).