Another danger is accidental information leaks. As Angela pointed out, "If I have information on my USB drive and I'm running through Heathrow Airport to catch my flight, I might drop the USB drive." Anyone who finds the drive could easily try to capitalize on any unprotected information it contains.
The Survey Results
Of the 254 survey respondents, about 86 percent were aware of RMS, but not quite 5 percent were using it. Although small, the sample included companies of all sizes (from fewer than 50 employees to more than 30,000 employees) from all over the world. Most respondents identified themselves as IT staff, IT management, or consultants.
I expected Microsoft to be most interested in verbatim responses to the question of why our readers aren't using RMS. Those comments revealed three main reasons:
1.Existing security is sufficient and RMS-type information protection isn't a priority. As one reader wrote, "Simply put, we're not there yet. Our organization does not yet feel the problems that RMS is supposed to solve."
2.Upgrading to Windows 2003 and other RMS-enabled applications is risky, expensive, and time-consuming. One person said, "I will only use what I have to of Windows 2003 until it becomes stable. I still have NT machines in my network." Another said, "Data security laws and regulations will eventually force us to take steps, but for now management is afraid of the overhead involved."
3.Interoperability isn't supported.
Like last month's Hey Microsoft! survey, our RMS survey revealed that people who don't use the technology aren't convinced that it brings them sufficient value. I asked Angela and Mario whether, based on the survey results, they think users understand the reasons for using RMS. The unexpected response was that Microsoft customers who "have taken the time to look at it get it immediately. There is a clear sense of the need for this kind of a solution."
When I pointed out that our survey results didn't support that conclusion, Microsoft expressed appreciation for the feedback, then went on to assert that the company would focus on data from people who already use RMS. "[This survey represents] a specific sample pool.... There were 12 users who actually utilize the technology. From our point of view, we'll leave and respect the survey result as it is, and it provides very good feedback for us. But based on our dialog with our customers, we feel that customers do understand the benefits of this technology."
A Swing and a Miss
Our survey's scope was limited. However, I expected Microsoft to be more interested in understanding and responding to the comments from the majority of users who don't use RMS.
As I explained last month in my first Hey Microsoft! column, my purpose in doing these surveys and sharing the results with Microsoft is to compare what you tell us with Microsoft's assessment of what its customers know about, need to understand about, and expect from a product or technology. I hope that the information will indicate ways for Microsoft to better serve you and will help you more effectively evaluate products. With my first column, I was taken aback that Microsoft representatives took my evaluation of the survey and interview as negative instead of perceiving it as constructive input. This month, Microsoft's reaction seemed to miss the point entirely. Instead of focusing on why most respondents aren't using RMS and how to help those customers, Microsoft appeared to dismiss the survey because it revealed that so few respondents use the technology.
After my September column went to press, Microsoft responded with additional information to address readers' concerns, as you can see in the Web-exclusive sidebar "Update on WSS and SharePoint Portal Server," http://www.windowsitpro.com, InstantDoc ID 43856. I'm sure Microsoft will also provide more information to help customers who aren't yet adopting RMS, so I'll keep you posted.
What do you think about RMS? I look forward to hearing from you on this topic and any others you'd like me to cover.
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