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EMC's storage tool for records mgmt

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NEW YORK: Data storage company EMC said it has introduced an updated version of its Centera digital storage system that helps companies better comply with the heightened U.S. focus on proper record-keeping.



The new Centera system, "EMC Centera Compliance Edition," allows customers to prevent deletion of digitally stored records during government-mandated retention periods -- and to ensure deletion when the periods expire, said Roy Sanford, vice president of EMC's Centera division.



Proper preservation of electronic data has become a hot issue. Several top U.S. investment banks in December agreed to pay regulators a total of $8.25 million for failure to appropriately preserve their e-mail records.

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The Centera system was the first online storage system to use a "digital fingerprint" that ensures the authenticity of a stored digital record and ensures its retrieval in unaltered form, Sanford said. Records might include X-rays and other medical records, he said.

The system satisfies such diverse regulations as U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 17a-4, U.S. Department of Defense Directive 5015.2 and the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Sanford said.

There are approximately 4,000 U.S. federal, state and local regulations that pertain to preserving records, he said. "We think Centera will help companies better meet policies and procedures across a wide range of industries," Sanford said.

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Centera has seen a "broad amount" of interest from financial institutions like broker-dealers and clearing houses, as well as insurance companies, law firms, and medical organizations, he said.

The Centera digital system allows faster retrieval of stored data than optical and tape-based storage approaches, Sanford said, and allows the deletion of individual records at the end of their statutory-retention periods, expanding use of a customer's storage space.

© Reuters

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