Advice
If you had to give one piece of advice to companies thinking about implementing a records management strategy, what would that be?
From Robin Woolen: In my view, the records management buzzword has died so, instead, I talk about information governance which, of course, includes records management. Though, I think that information governance is a much sexier term. In order to embark on an information governance program, I first advise that organizations need to understand where they are now compared to industry standards, based on the ARMA International industry standards. From there, they must assess the entire company using the ARMA principles to create a baseline comparison using the maturity model as scorecard and then create a strategic plan focused on both the short- and long-term. I use this strategy as a guide for every customer.
Defining Information Governance: An Exploration with Industry Experts
Defining Information Governance: An Exploration with Industry Experts
As digital information grows, so do the challenges and burdens of managing this mountain of data. Until recently, much of the industry has been focused on applying principles used to manage physical records, but they are now realizing that records management is no longer a sufficient solution. Companies are only now beginning to understand the importance of having an information governance program to manage electronically stored information across their organization as they drive new standards, controls, processes, disciplines and corporate objectives. This natural evolution to encompass a wide array of features and capabilities will continue to change the way that companies maintain their documents and ensure compliance across the organization and within their vertical industries.
RSD recently developed a monthly blog segment titled Influencer’s Corner where the team sits down with the industry’s top influencers to discuss all that is happening in the world of information governance. To kick this off, the RSD team recently spoke with the following industry influencers to discuss their thoughts on the current state of the information governance market, misconceptions, advice for companies looking to embark on information governance projects and industry predictions for 2015.
Influencers include:
- Chris Walker, father of the Principals of Holistic Information Governance, an independent consultant and an analyst with Digital Clarity Group
- Bassam Zarkout, CTO of RSD, is a thought leader in the information governance space (conception, design, development and implementation), a frequent speaker at key industry events and a 20 year Information Governance veteran
- James Lappin, an independent records management consultant and trainer
- Robin Woolen, founder and principal consultant at The Records Guru®, IG industry veteran circa 1994
Continue reading for the influencers’ insight.
