This report analyzes customer behaviors, decision drivers and future plans related to archiving processes and tools for file-based content. Examples of file-based (or “unstructured”) content include Web pages, word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, multimedia files (such as images, videos and audio files) and other proprietary file formats associated with process- or industry-specific applications. This report analyzes how customers are grappling with explosive growth in unstructured content archive volumes and identifies current and planned usage of archiving processes and information management tools. It also discusses how organizations must move beyond rudimentary approaches to managing file archives in order to address increasing compliance, productivity and infrastructure cost control requirements. Among the questions this report looks to answer:

• To what extent are small, medium and enterprise-class organizations operating or planning to deploy archiving processes and technologies for file-based content?
• What factors have the greatest impact on customers’ choices of file archiving strategies?
• At what rate is the use of these processes and technologies growing? What are the key factors driving that growth?
• Which types of processes and tools (e.g., purpose-built, application-specific, homegrown or other types of solutions) are used most widely to support file archiving requirements? How will this mix of tools change over time?
• What are the most likely timelines and decision drivers for customers making new investments in purpose-built archiving solutions for file-based content?
• What are the net growth rates for file archive storage capacity?
• What types of storage media are used to support file archiving?
• What types of features and functions will be required in future file archiving solutions?

To answer these questions, ESG conducted an online survey of 441 North American IT decision makers representing a cross section of industries and organization sizes. Of the 441 respondents, 143 respondents were most familiar with their organization’s information retention policies, procedures and technologies with respect to file-based content. For more information on the contents and findings of this report, please download the executive summary below.

Executive Summary

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