Your voice, your e-mail - what's the difference?

Unified Communications This newsletter is sponsored by Secure Computing Webinar: Securing up network access Learn how token-based, one-time password authentication systems can help enterprises reduce business risk, better comply with regulations, are easy to manage and most importantly keep networks secure. Tune in to this webinar. Network World's Unified Communications Newsletter, 09/13/07 Your voice, your e-mail – what’s the difference? By Michael Osterman We all know that e-mail is discoverable in court proceedings, that regulators can demand e-mail during audits or other inquiries, and that internal requestors – such as HR or in-house legal counsel – will periodically request copies of e-mail for a variety of purposes. In a unified communications system in which voicemail is delivered to an inbox, voice messages are also a message, technically identical to an e-mail in many respects. For an organization that uses a unified communications system, what happens if a judge orders that voice content must be examined as part of a discovery order, or if a regulator asks for relevant voice messages? As a messaging manager, how would you go about searching through potentially tens of thousands of voice messages stored on unified communication servers or in more traditional voicemail systems? That’s not an academic question anymore. The new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (also known as e-discovery) require ‘Electronically Stored Information’ to be part of the discovery process earlier in legal actions – digital bits that store voice are legally no different than digital bits that store e-mails or instant messages. Plus, voicemail has been used for many years in court cases and its value as evidence is without question. Network World Buyer's Guides Find the right products for your enterprise - fast. With seven categories - security, storage, convergence and VoIP, network infrastructure, network applications, wireless and LAN/WAN management - you can quickly pinpoint the hardware or software you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best purchase decisions for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyer's Guides now. Autonomy’s Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL) technology, used in the company’s etalk Qfiniti Explore offering, can be used to index voice content and make it searchable for a variety of applications, including e-discovery and regulatory compliance. Explore can also be used for a variety of other applications, including monitoring of voice messages to look for inappropriate statements and the like. Autonomy recently acquired Zantaz, a leading provider of hosted and on-premise messaging archiving solutions. The bottom line is that organizations that are planning to deploy unified communications systems, as well as those that use voicemail – namely, everyone – should consider the ramifications of voice in their e-discovery and other data retention planning.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: For webinars or research on messaging, or to join the Osterman Research market research survey panel, go here. Osterman Research helps organizations understand the markets for messaging and directory related offerings. To e-mail Michael, click here. This newsletter is sponsored by Secure Computing Webinar: Securing up network access Learn how token-based, one-time password authentication systems can help enterprises reduce business risk, better comply with regulations, are easy to manage and most importantly keep networks secure. Tune in to this webinar. ARCHIVE Archive of the Unified Communications Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007