Pain in the 'drive'

Rattled by instances of corporate espionage, energy sector executives dealing with corporate affairs, media and policy issues are more than careful these days with their computers and laptops, the repositories of all information. While only a couple of companies were affected by the espionage, executives across the board have been warned to carefully guard all communication. The existence of old computer files and papers is considered a sin; only the indispensable ones are saved as back-up. The sudden absence of policy papers in media house corridors is proof that the energy ministry is also careful about plugging holes. Amid such security, old documents are hard to trace, as is the history of long-pending matters. As a senior executive in an oil company quipped, "The task of cleaning up is a pain in the drive."