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New Study: Only 22 Percent of Information Management Professionals Confident in their Organization's Approach to Privacy
[November 15, 2018]

New Study: Only 22 Percent of Information Management Professionals Confident in their Organization's Approach to Privacy


Results reflect widespread concerns with new privacy regulations

MILPITAS, Calif., Nov. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZL Technologies, Inc. (ZL), a leader in information governance, today released the results of a new survey which found that information management professionals are overwhelmingly unconfident in their organization’s approach to privacy and information management.

The survey was conducted in partnership with the MER Conference, an organization renowned for addressing the legal, technical and operational issues of managing electronic records. Information management professionals were polled in August through October of 2018, with respondents spanning several verticals, including: education, energy, finance, government, legal, pharmaceutical, and transportation industries. The job titles of respondents included Information Governance Analyst, Records Manager, Compliance Specialist, Director of Information Management, and Vice President of Data Governance.

Respondents were polled with the simple question: “Do you think executives in your organization have sufficiently addressed information management and privacy needs?” 59.9 percent of the respondents said “no,” 18.6 percent said they were “unsure,” and only 21.5 percent said “yes.” These findings are potentially cause for concern, particularly considering they reflect the opinions of professionals with deep insight into their organization’s information management strategies.

“The siloed nature of today’s IT architecture renders many organizations unprepared for compliance with new privacy regulations,” said Kon Leong, CEO, ZL Technologies. “We’re seeing more and more IT and information management professionals come to terms with that, as reflected by these findings.”

To assess an organization’s level of preparedness for new regulations, Leong suggested sking the following questions:



  • What types of searches would you execute to find the various types of personal data that exist in most organizations?
  • Could you efficiently and consistently perform searches across the enterprise, including data silos that use different engines?
  • How would you readily associate personal data with the data subject?
  • When assessing whether to delete personal data, how would you quickly check its other functions, including “legitimate interests” that would prohibit its deletion? 

“Because of the complexities of the various privacy regulatory frameworks and the rapidly evolving landscape of privacy requirements, it makes sense that companies feel unprepared. The need for education and information sharing to help identify strategies and solutions, including that which is enabled at the MER Conference, has never been more important,” said Seth Williams, President, MER Conference. 

For answers to the questions above and more, you can find ZL at the 2019 MER Conference in Chicago. Please click here to learn more about ZL Technologies’ GDPR Solutions.


About the MER Conference

The MER Conference is a 2 ½ day immersive event focused on the Legal, Technical and Operational aspects of Managing Electronic Records and Information Governance. Designed for corporate decision-makers and organizational influencers seeking solution to their Information Governance challenges, the MER Conference delivers thought-leadership, insight, education and practical advice in a collaborative learning environment. In its 27th year, the mission remains the same; to equip records management and information governance practitioners to more meaningfully impact their organization’s business objectives. For more information, please visit www.merconference.com.

About ZL Technologies, Inc. 

ZL Technologies’ centralized information governance platform enables organizations to manage all enterprise content and satisfy corporate needs for data privacy, file analytics, eDiscovery, records management, and FINRA and GDPR compliance. ZL's unique differentiator is its unified architecture which consolidates all applications and billions of documents under one platform, thus eliminating today's fractured data silos which significantly raise operating costs and increase legal risk. With a proven track record of serving Global 500 customers, ZL has emerged as a technology leader in harnessing big data for strategic advantage. For more information, please visit zlti.com.

Media Contact
Cori Kendrick
PAN Communications
[email protected]
617-502-4330

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