The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #4: Records vs Non-Records

Years ago, when I was still somewhat new to records management and I was struggling to form my own understanding of the information lifecycle, I was working as a consultant and technical sales rep for a small software vendor that created and sold an ‘enterprise records management application’. The bulk of our customer base were … More The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #4: Records vs Non-Records

The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #3: Security vs Access

A few weeks after the discovery of the Sunburst data breach the BBC interviewed Brian Lord, the former deputy director of cyber-operations at the UK intelligence agency GCHQ. Mr. Lord agreed that the cyber-attack that compromised multiple US Federal agencies, including the Departments of Treasury, State, Homeland Security, and Energy, was a devastating loss of government information. However, … More The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #3: Security vs Access

The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #2: Storage vs Preservation

Lie #2: ‘Storage’ and ‘Preservation’ are the same thing. In the months following the Presidential election several prominent media outlets, including PBS and New Yorker Magazine, ran opinion pieces forcefully reminding the Trump administration of their obligations under the Presidential Records Act to “take all such steps as may be necessary to assure that the … More The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #2: Storage vs Preservation

The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #1: Information vs Data

Given that effective records management – executed in good faith – is the sole means of holding our most powerful institutions accountable for their behavior, these same institutions have been waging a brutal war on the records management profession for nearly two decades. And sadly, they are winning, as evidenced by the swirling information chaos … More The Four Lies Destroying Records Management – Lie #1: Information vs Data

More on the Global War on Records Management

The global war on records management over the last two decades has resulted in unimaginable tragedy. Governments and the media are lying to the public with absolute impunity. Trust in our oldest, most sacred institutions is dead. Our most confidential personal information is scattered all over the internet and any notion of privacy is long … More More on the Global War on Records Management

The Fiduciary Responsibility of Records Management, Trust…and ARMA

Information is the most valuable currency in the world and just as financial planners, asset managers, and investment bankers have a fiduciary relationship with a client’s money, there must also exist a fiduciary role entrusted with a customer’s information assets. This role is – and has always been – the records management professional. The foundation … More The Fiduciary Responsibility of Records Management, Trust…and ARMA

An Open Request to Current and Former ARMA Officials

One of my three wonderful kids was born with an autistic spectrum disorder. Jackson, our middle child, is a terrific boy and an absolute joy to his brother, his sister, and his parents. None of us could ever imagine life without him. But as he was growing up, Jackson’s condition required fulltime care which prevented … More An Open Request to Current and Former ARMA Officials

“Information Governance” and the Continuing War on Records Management

Six years ago this month I published this opinion piece in IQ – The RIM Quarterly Magazine for records management professionals in Australia and Asia (reprinted with permission): Records Management, Information Governance, and the Future of Information Lifecycle Management. Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait. At the time I published that article, my dire … More “Information Governance” and the Continuing War on Records Management

Questions for Your Next Records Management Product or Service Demonstration Webcast

The lockdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has given me the opportunity to attend several webcasts on new records management products and services. All of these presentations have been quite good and provided a reasonable degree of useful information. There was a time in my career that I was doing these same webcasts, and I … More Questions for Your Next Records Management Product or Service Demonstration Webcast