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Akonix Warns Companies of New E-Discovery Rules


WEBWIRE

San Diego, CA – December 5, 2006 – With amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for electronic storage that became effective on December 1, Akonix Systems, the provider of the most deployed IM security and compliance products in the world, advises companies to take action now to monitor and archive instant messages generated by employees in order to remain in compliance with these new regulations. Organizations that cannot retrieve their employees’ instant messages for legal discovery in a reasonable period of time run the risk of fines and legal actions.

The new ruling, approved by the Supreme Court in April, requires all US companies and other entities involved in federal litigation to produce ‘electronically stored information’ as part of the discovery process, when evidence is shared by both sides before a trial. IM conversations are included in the new ruling and moving forward companies must be able to show what IM traffic they have and where it is stored.

According to the ‘2006 Litigation Trend Survey’ from international law firm Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., 43% of respondents reported litigating e-discovery disputes with a high degree of frequency in the past year and only 15% of US counsel surveyed said their companies were well-prepared to handle a difficult e-discovery challenge as part of a contested civil matter or regulatory investigation.

According to a survey conducted by Akonix earlier this year, only 11% of respondents reported having IM hygiene solutions in place, compared to 73% with email hygiene. Nearly 50% of those surveyed replied that “an IM hygiene solution never crossed my mind.”

“E-discovery has been a confusing topic for many IT departments regarding what type of electronic information they need to archive and for what time period,” said Peter Shaw, CEO at Akonix. “This new ruling makes it clear that all electronic information, including IM, needs to be managed and archived in case of a legal proceeding.”

For more information on how Akonix ensures companies meet federal and industry compliance requirements, please visit http://www.akonix.com/solutions/compliance.asp, call 619-615-9415 or email sales@akonix.com. Companies interested in putting Akonix products to work can receive a free 30-day evaluation of A6000 and A1000 IM security appliances at eval.akonix.com.

About Akonix
Akonix is the most deployed IM security product in the world, enabling Global 1000 companies to deploy productive, enterprise-wide IM that is secure, compliant and managed.

Worldwide over one million people across hundreds of organizations in the Financial Services, Telecommunications, Energy, Technology, Healthcare and Entertainment industries use Akonix products. With more than 20 patent applications, Akonix’s 360° Security provides the industry’s only automatically-updated protection to block viruses and malware for both enterprise and public IM systems. Akonix has certified partnerships with all leading IM and presence providers including America Online®, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Reuters, IBM, Jabber Inc., Parlano, Antepo, and Bloomberg.

An IM industry first, the Akonix IM Security Center (http://www.imsecuritycenter.com) provides real-time information about worms, viruses and other vulnerabilities that target IM and P2P networks. The company issues monthly and quarterly IM threat watch reports to track key trends and vulnerabilities.

For further information on the company, please visit http://www.akonix.com.



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