eTERA Consulting White Paper Helps Organizations Understand, Manage and Mitigate Information Risk

Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 21, 2011

eTERA Consulting, a professional services firm specializing in providing data management solutions to the AmLaw 100 and Fortune 500 companies, today announced the release of a new and insightful white paper titled Understanding, Managing and Mitigating Your Information Risk. The white paper addresses the risks and costs associated with managing the growth of the volume and complexity of data. The complimentary white paper is available for download at http://www.eteraconsulting.com.

?For most companies, risk is very difficult to quantify efficiently, and management often crosses the internal borders between legal, compliance and information technology,? said John Rubens, Managing Director of Corporate Analysis at eTERA Consulting and author of the white paper. ?In addition to the volume of data, the variety of data sources is increasing as well. Hence, data is rarely measured, identified or acted upon as it should be exposing organizations to significant risks.?

?Early Information Assessment (?EIA?) is key to helping clients evaluate risks and costs associated with both the volume and complexity of data,? said Scott Holec, president of eTERA Consulting. ?EIA is a methodology that integrates people, planning, resources and innovation to help legal, IT and business stakeholders to improve the overall management of electronically stored information and electronic discovery operations while achieving significant cost-savings. EIA is supported through the application of robust technologies and a straight-forward process for delivering value quickly across the entire enterprise.?????

The white paper provides case stories and will help organizations to:

????Quickly and cost-effectively get a snapshot of the enterprise data topology
????Target common areas of risk including:
????Undisciplined use of document management systems such as SharePoint
????Extraneous eMail and data archives
????HIPAA and Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
????Orphaned and rarely accessed data repositories
????Improve the management of information including litigation hold and retention policies
????Improve storage management through IP policy enforcement and storage reclamation

About the Author

John Rubens serves as Managing Director of Corporate Analysis. In his role, Mr. Rubens is responsible for assisting clients in taking proactive steps to manage the complex ESI landscape and effectively address their legal, compliance and regulatory requirements. With an extensive background in corporate analysis, including ESI indexing solutions, forensic analysis and acquisition, and Early Information Assessment methodologies, Mr. Rubens brings a diverse background in legal, information technology and corporate risk management. Mr. Rubens can be reached at jrubens(at)eteraconsulting(dot)com.

About eTERA Consulting

eTERA Consulting specializes in helping organizations improve information governance, compliance and discovery management. We are a technology independent consultancy with a broad range of services from strategic information consulting to project-based engagements. Our proven Early Information Assessment (EIA) planning methodology provides clients with the management expertise, technology resources and analytical tools needed to craft innovative solutions focused on achieving increased efficiencies, cost savings, command and control, and enhanced decision-making abilities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, eTERA Consulting has served the legal industry since 2004. The company also maintains additional offices within the U.S. eTERA Consulting was named to The Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies in 2010 and was a 2011 finalist for the prestigious Helios HR Apollo Awards. For more information, please visit http://www.eteraconsulting.com/.

Company Contact:

Joe Kanka

(240) 751-8349

jkanka(at)eteraconsulting(dot)com

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74% of Americans? 2009 Giving to ?Church, Religious Organizations?

Champaign, IL (PRWEB) October 10, 2011

Americans gave 74% of their donations in 2009 to ?church, religious organizations,? according to an analysis of federal data in The State of Church Giving through 2009.

The new book is to be released on October 14, 2011.

The analysis in the new book published by empty tomb, inc. is based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data for 2009.

Three other categories also received donations in the CE 2009. The category of ?charities and other organizations? received 21% of Americans? donations. Gifts to ?educational institutions? claimed another 3%, while ?gifts to non-Consumer Unit members of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds? represented 1% of donations.

The analysis found giving to religion was the largest category, in every age bracket, in every income bracket, and in every region of the country.

Regional Giving. The South has traditionally given the largest portion of income to charity, according to empty tomb?s analysis of 1987 through 2009 CE data. The South?s annual average for 1987 through 2009 is 1.7% of income.

In 2009, Americans in both the South and the West donated 1.8% of income. Those in the Midwest gave 1.7%. The Northeast traditionally has been in fourth place. It was again in 2009, with 1.0% of income donated to charity.

Church Member Giving Down in 2009. The new report also looks specifically at church member giving in 2009 for a set of denominations representing over 100,000 churches in the U.S.

The analysis found that per member giving declined in current dollars from 2008 to 2009. From 1968 to 2009, the first time church member giving declined in current dollars was in 2008.

?Giving to churches in 2009 may have been impacted by the recession,? the report?s authors said. ?It is also possible that these declines were part of a long-term trend during the 1968-2009 period, that saw a decline in giving to churches as a percent of income.?

Benevolences as a Percent of Income at Lowest Point. As evidence of the long-term decline in giving to churches, the authors point to the trend in giving as a percent of income to Benevolences, that is, spending beyond the local congregation. The amount given to Benevolences in 2009 was 0.34%, the lowest amount in the 1968-2009 period reviewed. The 2009 level was about half the 1968 Benevolences giving level of 0.66%. The category of Benevolences includes support for denominational programs as well as international and local missions.

Membership. The study also found that membership as a percent of U.S. population for a group of 36 Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church decreased between 1968 and 2009. The broad group of communions represented 45% of the U.S. population in 1968 and 36% in 2009. Even so, that membership totaled 110 million Americans in 2009.

Potential. The potential for church leaders to mobilize members to increase giving still exists. However, according to the report, church members are not likely to give more to maintenance church institutions. Leaders need to point to a ?vision? to engage Christians both inside and outside congregations. As a possible focus for increased giving, the authors point to, for example, the 16 nations that are not making progress in reducing the number of deaths in children under five years of age. An analysis of the religious makeup of these countries found that 10 of the 16 nations have a weighted average of 84% Christian.

Church Member Giving in Recession Years. The new report also considers church member giving in recession years. No pattern was found in a review of data for 1968 through 2009. In addition, a review of data for 11 denominations for the period 1921 through 1967 did not find that church member giving declined in recession years (apart from the Great Depression), although giving did decline in some non-recession years.

New Religious Construction. The State of Church Giving through 2009 also reviewed new religious construction data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Per capita spending in 2009 on new religious construction was down from 2008. When population and income were factored in, per capita spending as a percent of income in 2009, measuring 0.06%, was at the lowest level in the 1964-2009 period. In comparison, the figure in 1965 was 0.25% of per capita income spent on new religious construction.

For Author Comments or Details of the Findings. Contact Sylvia Ronsvalle, empty tomb, inc., research(at)emptytomb(dot)org or (217) 356-9519.

Book Available October 14, 2011. The new report, authored by John and Sylvia Ronsvalle and published by empty tomb, inc., is scheduled to be released on Friday, October 14, 2011. The full title is: The State of Church Giving through 2009: Jesus Christ, the Church in the U.S., & the 16 No-Progress-in-Child Deaths Nations, 10 Being 84% Christian. Copies are available through Internet booksellers, or directly from empty tomb at http://www.emptytomb.org/pubs.html.

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