Ashley,

   Information governance is a new term that is getting a lot of attention.
Your best bet is to look at all of the replies from the listserv and then
determine what concepts best meet your needs. So here goes my contribution:

 First it is useful to understand the two terms Records Management and
Information Management. Records Management got its origin from the need to
manage paper records throughout their lifecycle. The different phases of a
records lifecycle are;  Create and capture, Organize, Use and disseminate,
Maintain and preserve, and Dispose. Each of these five phases are *
operational* in nature.
  With the increasing volume of electronic information, many RIM
professionals started to use the phase Information Management to ensure
that all information; both paper records and electronic information were
properly managed. The five operational phases of the records lifecycle were
then applied to electronic information as well.
  The introduction of Sarbanes/Oxley, Sedona Conference guidelines, and
Frank Dodd meant that organizations had to demonstrate due diligence in the
management of their information. Part of that due diligence was  the need
to show that the *governance* of Information Management was separate from
the *operations* of Information Management. The term Information Governance
is used by some organizations to identify the governance of information
management.
  One definition of Information Governance is as follows;
       "An accountability framework ... that includes the people,
processes, policy, and technology ... that ensure the effective management
of information ... to enable an organization to achieve its strategic goals
and business programs."

     Barclay Blair defines Information Governance as, "A comprehensive
program of controls, processes, and technologies designed to help
organizations maximize the value of information assets while minimizing
associated risks and costs."

   The point of both of these definitions is to identify a need to provide
strategic direction and accountability to the *operations* of information
management; hence the term 'strategic information management'.

   The role of information governance is to provide training, policy,
procedures, audit accountability, compliance efforts; and most important,
strategic direction in the format of information management roadmaps and
strategic information management plans, to those operations groups that
deal with information flow and management.

   Two more thoughts for you to consider;
       First, the C level of management is seldom concerned with
operational details; they focus on strategic goals and direction. One way
for RIM professionals to get the attention of senior management is to
understand the strategic role of information management and to document it
in the form of strategic deliverables such as roadmaps and plans that
support the corporate strategic objectives. As RIM professionals we finally
have the tools to do this through the use of the GARP Principles and the
Maturity Model for Information Governance.
     Second, one of your greatest allies in getting approval for necessary
IM projects is the VP of Finance; who usually makes the final decision on
capital allocations. My experience so far with the GARP Principles is that
finance executives can relate to the GARP principles because of their
similarity to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). Most senior
management have a lack of appreciation for Records and Information
Management and the GARP Principles is proving to be a good 'in' to the VP
of Finance.

    Ashley, I hope this information will be useful to you.

Sam McCollum, MBA, CRM

On Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 2:28 PM, McKay, Ashley <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Hi List,
>
> My name is Ashley McKay; I'm a Records Management Analyst at Valero Energy
> Corporation in sunny San Antonio, TX. I've been both a librarian and a
> records manager during the 12-year span of my career. Long-time lurker,
> first time posting, really in need of a good shake to straighten out my
> thoughts today.
>
> I'm helping our records manager write our 5-year strategy document.
> Records Management here is part of the IT department, so our audience is
> definitely technology-centric. "Information governance" is a term our
> management is throwing around (with different levels of understanding), but
> so far only RIM has been willing to tackle an info governance strategy.
>
> I've written myself into a corner trying to differentiate between records
> management and information governance for our strategy document. Does
> anyone here have any opinion on answers to these two questions?
>
>
> 1.       How do you distinguish between a strategy for achieving
> information governance versus a strategy for achieving records management?
>
>
> 2.       Is information governance primarily a technology or is it a
> program?
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Ashley McKay
> E-discovery & Records Services
> Valero Energy Corporation
> San Antonio, TX
> 210-345-4130
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
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>



-- 
Sam McCollum, MBA, CRM, ERMm
President and CEO
SIMC Coaching Corporation
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