Category: Enterprise Records and Information Management

Some Thoughts on My Critics, ARMA and the State of Records and Information Management

September 14, 2017

A recent post to the Records Management ListServ group I made has sparked a lot of (mostly offline) discussion.  I’ve received some very kind, supportive emails from several people in the records management community, and for that I am grateful. I’ve also received some less-than-kind emails from folks outside the records management community – and … More Some Thoughts on My Critics, ARMA and the State of Records and Information Management

Records Management Functionality: A Brief History

August 29, 2017

As I’ve noted here a number of times before, records management is a centuries-old, well-defined professional discipline.  Records managers have always provided the same vital service: we manage recorded information, regardless of media or format, through its entire lifecycle – creation, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposition.   While the tools records managers use have changed considerably … More Records Management Functionality: A Brief History

If Information Governance Started 30 Years Ago…

May 22, 2016

Alice Johnson, the long-time head of Records Management at manufacturing conglomerate X-Corp, was sitting at her desk one warm morning in the spring of 1986 when there was a sudden knock on her office door. “Come in,” said Alice. The door opened and in walked a well-dressed man carrying a briefcase and a pipe.  “Hello, … More If Information Governance Started 30 Years Ago…

An Open Letter to ARMA from a Records Management Professional at a Critical Turning Point in History

March 28, 2016

I have been a professional records manager for nearly 20 years. I started my career in the late nineties with a small software company that produced an ‘enterprise records management application’ which we marketed to both public and private sector organizations across the world. Since beginning my career I have held just about every position … More An Open Letter to ARMA from a Records Management Professional at a Critical Turning Point in History

The Disposition Imperative: My ARMA NOVA Keynote

March 1, 2016

I’ve been told that the Chinese word for ‘crisis’ is the same word they use for ‘opportunity’. Now I was born with a healthy level of skepticism, so I typically validate such things before I use them publicly. (God bless you, Snopes.com.) But I’m making an exception on this one and blindly assuming it’s true. … More The Disposition Imperative: My ARMA NOVA Keynote

The Automated Information Lifecycle Management Model: Part 3 – The Records Manager’s Challenge

August 8, 2015

“We have met the enemy and he is us.” – Pogo (by way of Walt Kelly) To make the Automated Information Lifecycle Management model work – and it must work – some serious challenges must be overcome by the three groups most affected by it: Records and Information Management professionals, Enterprise Content and Records Management … More The Automated Information Lifecycle Management Model: Part 3 – The Records Manager’s Challenge

The Automated Information Lifecycle Management Model: Part 2 – Records Management at a Tipping Point

August 8, 2015

Malcolm Gladwell is arguably Canada’s greatest living gift to Western Civilization (outside of Bob and Doug McKenzie, who are hilarious).  In his seminal book of the same name, Gladwell defines a ‘tipping point’ as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point”.  And unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere – or … More The Automated Information Lifecycle Management Model: Part 2 – Records Management at a Tipping Point