Desktop data hoarders hurt businesses

Company staff are hoarding vital crucial information on their PCs where it is unavailable to colleagues, according to a new report.

More than six in ten (64 percent) of IT managers questioned believed their organizations suffered because of these so-called "micro-silos" cause, a survey by database specialist Filemaker found.

The situation is made worse by the fact that software is now easier to use, allowing end-users to customise applications within their own work space.

But there is also a shortage of skills not only among senior employees, with only one in five business directors rated as being good as IT, but also among juniors. Tony Speakman, Filemaker regional manager for Northern Europe, said youngsters are not being taught the right skills at school.

"My kids were being taught databases using [Microsoft's] Excel. That is a spreadsheet, not a database," he said.

Filemaker advises organisations to encourage staff to save and share information centrally, establish a clear written policy on the use of IT and data. The report was based on 100 phone interviews with people responsible for IT in companies.

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