A New Administration of Knowledge Management

By Marisa Peacock (@marisacp51) Jan 22, 2009

US President Obama faces many challenges as he enters the executive office. His new administration is set to tackle the economy and many in the document management industry are looking to them for signs of increased regulation when it comes to records management and retention.

While such a topic may not seem like it would be a priority for the new president, those immersed in the industry know that good knowledge management is key to solving some of the biggest problems facing the country. Like the economic crisis.

During his campaign, Obama acknowledged that the economic situation, in which we find ourselves knee-deep in bailouts and debt, was caused by a lack of regulation and a disregard for compliance standards. With recent studies showing companies woefully unprepared to archive and manage e-documents, the government is even further behind.

But with the new administration built upon values of transparency and accountability, many in the industry are hopeful that change has come, bringing with it more enforcement and productive initiatives that will help address and prevent future records management calamities, economic and otherwise.

An Administration of Archival and Retention

CMSWire had the opportunity to speak with Mr. T. M. Ravi, President and CEO of Mimosa Systems about what the Obama presidency may mean for records management and retention processes.

As you may recall, Mimosa provides information management and content archiving solutions and has recently launched a new version of its NearPoint email archiving solution. With a vested interested in the area of records management, Mimosa is encouraged that companies will be moved to adhere to stricter guidelines and standards. If executed properly, standards and guidelines can save lots of money, fix crucial elements of the economic infrastructure, as well as demonstrate principles of good governance.

Ravi is optimistic that new federal and state policies will hold more companies accountable for their actions, or rather their inaction. With more legislation being passed, like the Presidential Records Act, US citizens are gaining greater access to electronic documents.

As we enter a new phase of government, led by a president with experience engaging with social media — from his Blackberry to his YouTube chats — an explosion of e-information is inevitable, as is the urgent need to archive, search and access it. Ravi advises the administration to do the "right thing" and use the insurgence of e-communication generated by the Commander-in-Chief to improve the way the communication records are managed.

Not only will proactive steps in knowledge management serve to aid the administration, they will also help companies be proactive about how they classify, retain and meet compliance issues within the realm of e-discovery.

A poor economy increases litigation, forcing companies to release relevant but hard to find documentation. By implementing archiving solutions, like those offered by Mimosa, organizations can archive all types of electronic information, from IMs, text messages, word documents and photos.

By storing the information on a separate system, like Mimosa's NearPoint does, documents are captured, indexed and searched securely, out of users' control. Investigations are made easier and streamlined to save time, money and uphold the principles of good governance.