Once considered a condition that only affected larger companies with extensive databases, the pain of managing and maintaining archives is now afflicting firms of all sizes.

Analysts say that a combination of internal and external factors are leaving small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to manage overwhelming loads of information.

"It is a common occurrence among large organisations, but I see it trickling down to medium and small businesses as well," noted Charles King, principal analyst for research firm Pund-IT.

King told V3.co.uk that for the first time SMBs are faced with data overload, and many have not been handling the situation well. The analyst explained that for many companies, the quick fix of simply adding more physical storage has taken precedence over intelligently managing infrastructure.

"The low cost of storage has contributed to people throwing hard drives at the problem," he said.

"It can gum up the works in a best case scenario, and in a worst case scenario it can get to where companies expose themselves to a significant amount of risk."

Like fellow analyst Andrew Reichman, King noted that companies of all sizes can benefit from implementing better storage management tools and adopting solutions such as multi-tiering storage systems and de-duplication.

The analyst also noted that SMBs in particular could cut a sizable portion out of storage costs by making use of low-cost cloud services. King explained that by making use of the various online PC backup services aimed at individuals and SMBs.

By backing up individual systems online, King noted that smaller companies can remove one of their biggest and most expensive sources of data overload.

"Quite a few companies don't realise how much data is stored on employee PCs, " he said.

"You are taking the cost of those backups out of your datacentre, and I think that can be a very viable type of service."

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