JESSE WILKINS said:
>And I will add that just this week I heard three different conversations
>that included this snippet:
>"I don't see why IT and RM should be different organizations."
>Followed by, "They both need to report to..."
>....RM in one case, IT in one case, and legal in the third case.

I've heard these types of conversations before and not sure I buy them.  I
have an excellent relationship with my IT department, as I did years back
when I was at VA DOT.  In both cases, I reported to different departments
(Finance and Administration) not closely associated with IT.

For me, it is a matter of reaching out to IT and seek ways of helping them
out.  Most IT managers I know hate to be in the information/records
management business - they want to focus on establishing and maintaining the
infrustructure.  I agreed to take care of all the RM issues leaving them
free to do what they do best.  I've also written policies on such areas as
e-mail and back-up management as well as data classification, topics that
many instances they hate to deal with.

I am fully convinced that we as record managers have to do a better job of
educating our IT breathern that we are not in a turf battle with them - we
have skills that will make their life easier.  In addition, we must be
willing to learn their terminology and speak their language.

Sort of reminds me of my first tour in Germany - my Deutsch was terrible and
I butchered the language pretty badly (my wife, who is German, complains I
still do).  But I made an attempt to speak their language and was made to
feel welcome.  I believe the same rule applies to IT as well.

Bruce L. White, CRM, PMP
Manager, Records Management
Sempra Global
619-696-4671
619-696-2534 (Fax)
619-952-7145 (Cell)

"Paper kills-and more
paper kills more."
                Judah Best, JD

"Sempra Global is not the same company as the utility SDG&E or SoCal Gas,
and Sempra Global is not regulated by the California Public Utilities
Commission."
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