In this age of sub-one-second Google search queries, modern networking and T1 Internet connections, a recent survey by Osterman Research finds that employees at companies with 10,000+ employees spend, on average, 38 minutes searching for one document – whether on their own computers or their organization's networks, databases or intranet. 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, 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. The results are unsettling for managers concerned with employee productivity issues and a hyper-litigious and regulatory environment. According to the survey, 86 percent of employees expressed concern about how prepared their organizations are to deal with information risk. The survey report notes, "In spite of a heightened risk of litigation and regulatory investigation, most enterprises aren't more stringently enforcing, or even updating, data-retention policies."

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