On our February 16, 2010 Peer Incite, The Wikibon Project community discussed the topic of corporate information governance, trends, and the principles of enterprise records management. Wikibon was joined by three special guests:
- Donald L. Martin, PhD, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Medical Inspector,
- Sam McCollum, Strategic Information Management, ENMAX Corporation Canada, and
- Jennifer Winch, Infrastructure Systems, PG&E.
Key Takeaways
- Content collaboration is not records management, all content are not records, and the distinctions are critical in information governance programs.
- Collaboration tools do not replace records management. Collaboration tools will continue to create business risk, as sites inside and outside the enterprise will remain difficult to compliance-manage.
- Records managers and content managers have diametrically opposed interests. Content managers are focused on collaboration, dynamic, open search, and user-driven activities, while records managers are focused on control, classification, security, and discovery.
- Records managers continue to demand better integration between content and official records systems. Policy integration is what they really want – it’s the place to start.
- Records management solutions contain the security, policy management, interoperability, and architectural framework for controlling costs and reducing information governance risks. Take this message to the Board room.
- Information governance should be part of every business decisions - for every new piece of data created, sourcing decision made, new system developed, application retired, businesses acquired or sold. Retrofitting information governance is hugely expensive and often ineffective.
- Policy automation will reduce business and operational risks
- End-to-end information governance is very difficult to achieve today for the largest firms. Mid size firms to small business have less information, less sophistication to manage, so the challenge is less but not 0.
Action Item: The digital deluge continues, and execs, technology, and information management professionals could get washed out without an effective records program built on tried and true principles. These principles should form the discipline of an information governance program and information architecture. End-users should challenge vendors with integration requirements and pursue the goal of aligning the digital deluge with the creation of business value.
Footnotes: