In the age of Google search, too many documents and pieces of data are still hiding inside company networks, a new survey says. In this age of sub-one-second Google search queries, modern networking and T1 Internet connections, it seems ludicrous that any type of information-based search would take even 38 seconds to complete. MORE ON CIO.com The Ugly Truth About One Version of the Truth Data Management Danger: Less Than Half of MDM Plans Are Effective Companies Struggle to Find the Truth in Massive Data Flows A new survey, however, finds that employees at big companies (with more than 10,000 employees) spend, on average, 38 minutes searching for one document — whether that’s on their own computers or their organization’s networks, databases or intranet. In addition, the survey of 200 respondents from companies in a wide range of industries found that employees are having trouble finding the most efficient and appropriate technology tools to locate documents or internal expertise. To find in-house experts, for instance, 71 percent of the respondents said they “ask around”; 46 percent said they use the company directory; 34 percent use the company website or intranet; and 30 percent said they send a companywide e-mail (and we all know how annoying those can be). Just 9 percent of the companies responding to the survey have an automated system in place for locating experts. The survey was completed by Osterman Research and commissioned by Recommind, a maker of information risk-management software, so take the results with a grain of salt. But still, the results have to be unsettling to higher-ups who have any concern regarding employee productivity in these times of “doing more with less,” plus the hyper-litigious and regulatory environment in which we now live. According to the survey, 86 percent of employees expressed concern about how prepared their organizations are to deal with information risk. “In spite of a heightened risk of litigation and regulatory investigation,” notes the survey write-up, “most enterprises aren’t more stringently enforcing, or even updating, data-retention policies.” (For more on data management, see these articles on how companies are struggling to get to one version of the truth with BI and master data management (MDM) efforts, why less than half of data management plans are effective, and why MDM initiatives are still buzzworthy but a back-breaker for many organizations.) Overall, the findings, states the survey report, “illustrate a dangerous, recession-induced trend of overreliance on outdated technology and an inability to provide workers with the most current tools available.” Do you Tweet? Follow me on Twitter @twailgum. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline. Related content Feature Industry clouds prove their business value Born of partnerships and ecosystem-centric by their nature, cloud solutions aimed at specific verticals are taking root, forming a complex, rapidly evolving market CIOs must be strategic about entering. By Paula Rooney Mar 24, 2023 7 mins Cloud Computing Feature What is data governance? Best practices for managing data assets Data governance defines roles, responsibilities, and processes for ensuring accountability for and ownership of data assets across the enterprise. By Thor Olavsrud Mar 24, 2023 10 mins IT Governance Frameworks Big Data Data Mining BrandPost Stay in Control of Your Data with a Secure and Compliant Sovereign Cloud By Stan Kwong Mar 23, 2023 6 mins Cloud Security Cloud Computing News Accenture to lay off 19,000 to cut costs amid economic uncertainty Technology services giant Accenture will continue to hire but meanwhile is cutting staff to streamline operations in the face of economic headwinds. By Anirban Ghoshal Mar 23, 2023 2 mins IT Consulting Services Technology Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe