The "issues" are usually as Larry said - "A few of us (as individuals) have
engaged with them repeatedly and attempted to influence a change of thinking
on their part, explaining to them they are misquoting information extracted
from surveys, taking other findings out of context, and that some of the
position papers they are presenting are completely incorrect, even to the
point of using definitions for terms that aren't recognized by RIM, and are
contrary to the ARMA Glossary." When you are working closely with a group
and they stretch definitions and concepts to suit their own agendas (sell
sell sell) you have to say something at a point or you become associated
with concept interpretations you don't really support.
However, awkward situations are also created when other organizations or
vendors use terms like "records management" in such a simplistic manner as
to make global claims that are at least very misleading. For instance, some
vendors of software systems simply indicate that if you want to "achieve
compliance" or "meet records management requirements" you only have to buy
and install their software, even though there is little to no functionality
that would create a real retention schedule or apply that schedule
functionally to the data in the system. But it is particularly critical to
differentiate concepts regarding data storage and records storage, as most
IT personnel have no interest in the content analysis needed to
differentiate between all data and the data that might be considered to be
records worthy of retention. Put another way, it is easy for IT managers to
imply that if you simply save all of the data for a long time, you have
somehow met retention/compliance mandates.
Once you begin saving everything, the need for managing only that content
worthy of retention is replaced by simply buying increasingly larger disk
drives to store increasing volumes of data and the need for increasingly
faster computers to search through it. This is not "managing" records
according to their value and retention mandates. It is just creating a
warehouse of data for someone else to deal with some day.
Unfortunately, it can be financially advantageous to the data storage
vendors that their customers simply think all data is of record-keeping
value and should be stored without much actual records management. The more
storage you buy, the more money they make, while imply that some retention
mandates are being met. Eventually, some unfortunate records manager has to
eventually tell the vendors customers that the records management principles
of reducing records risks and information management costs, was thrown out
the window long ago.
John
****************************
John Phillips
Information Technology Decisions
www.infotechdecisions.com
865-966-9413
-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Carolyn Denton
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 11:34 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: RAINdrip: File System Management Headed for Trouble
Can you guys be more specific? What are the "issues" that you seem so
concerned about? I'm new to your list so I don't know the history of
which you speak. Carolyn
-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of John Phillips
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 4:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: RAINdrip: File System Management Headed for Trouble
Maybe this is a situation where these "issues" should be documented in a
letter from the ARMA President and/or Executive Director and sent to the
group's leadership requesting resolution of these issues. If there are
no
consequences for simplistic self-serving behavior, what is their
motivation
for change? Professional altruism?
Once these issues are documented, and especially if the
misrepresentation
issues are not resolved in a few months, another letter would document
on-going concerns and then -- that letter could be posted on a Web site
and
brought out in meetings to embarrass the organization into a better
working
relationship. Imagine if in a sales meeting an IT systems vendor makes
some
claims and an attending records manager brings out evidence of their
knowingly misrepresenting concurrence on issues. This could be done as
simply a matter of professional "debate" but the "debate" should be
documented and - recorded! And then maybe a few extremely difficult
e-discovery experiences in this space could be documented to support the
point.
At an ARMA conference years ago, the conference speaker presenting the
subject of "Professional Change" sat in a chair on stage and said that
it
was comfortable, and he was going to continue to sit there - until it
became
uncomfortable (which was his point regarding change in general). Until
there
are consequences for their actions, and they become uncomfortable, this
group will probably not - change.
John
****************************
John Phillips
Information Technology Decisions
www.infotechdecisions.com
865-966-9413
-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf
Of Allen, Doug
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 1:17 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: RAINdrip: File System Management Headed for Trouble
I applaud those who have engaged with that particular vendor group.
However, what I have seen on repeated occasions, is that whenever those
of us in the RIM field engage with them....they have tended to ignore
our objections to their direction, and have then produced documentation
where they claim to have collaborated with us. Those instances
typically followed a host of long-lasting phone conferences that
confirmed that this particular group wasn't all that interested in
listening.
Engaging with another group requires open ears of both parties. The
ears of that other group have not yet proven to be open. Having a
dialogue with a group that will not listen is something for which I am
not personally well equipped, and do not believe represents a sound
investment of time. It certainly is not something that my employer
would agree to support for any extended period of time.
There are many, many things that we in our profession can do, could do,
should do.... My personal preference is to focus on those things that
are forward-looking, that allow me and allow us to make forward
progress. As an individual, I am not apt to invest too much time in
firefighting, to the detriment of those positive pursuits that can yield
results.
I appreciate your perspective, but do and will disagree. Again, please
note that I'm speaking here only for myself.
Doug Allen, CRM, CDIA+
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