In today's digital landscape, information management and governance are crucial for organizations of all sizes. However, it's important to understand that there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Let's explore how you can customize your information management program to fit your organization's unique needs.
When we talk about information management, we often look at it in terms of a spectrum or even a two-by-two matrix. The key vectors to consider are:
Every organization needs to determine where they need to be on each of these vectors. For instance, government organizations or highly regulated industries typically need to be at the far-right end of the compliance and governance vector. They usually have more mature solutions, procedures, and policies in place.
On the other hand, smaller or medium-sized organizations might not need such stringent measures, but they still need to implement best practices to manage documents, reduce risk, and control access to sensitive information.
The goal is to be as compliant and have as good information governance in place as possible while not restricting the functions that people need to do their jobs. It's about finding the right balance between compliance and collaboration.
If your organization is 100% focused on compliance due to being in a highly regulated industry, your investment in compliance tools, solutions, and software will be much greater. Conversely, if you're a smaller organization or a mid-size enterprise that prioritizes collaboration but still needs basic information governance, you might find that the tools included in your Microsoft 365 license are sufficient.
Many organizations are unaware that they already have information governance tools in their existing software stack. For instance, if you have an E5 license for Microsoft 365, you already have access to a highly capable foundational platform with built-in governance features.
For many organizations, the key is to leverage the software you already own and make it do what your business requires. In some cases, you might need to add on some Microsoft Purview features to quickly improve your governance capabilities.
More advanced and highly regulated organizations often use Microsoft solutions in conjunction with partner solutions for more sophisticated records management.
It's crucial to recognize that the business environment today is very different from what it was even five years ago. The threats and risks of documents ending up in the wrong hands have increased significantly. Every business, regardless of size or industry, needs to be thinking about information governance.
Here's a framework for thinking about how to customize your information management program:
Remember, the key is to find the right balance for your organization. You want to be secure and compliant, but not at the expense of your team's ability to collaborate effectively. By tailoring your approach, you can create an information management program that protects your organization while supporting its operational needs.
This blog post is based on an original AIIM OnAir podcast. When recording podcasts, AIIM uses AI-enabled transcription in Zoom. We then use that transcription as part of a prompt with Claude Pro, Anthropic’s AI assistant. AIIM staff (aka humans) then edit the output from Claude for accuracy, completeness, and tone. In this way, we use AI to increase the accessibility of our podcast and extend the value of great content. Banner image generated with Gemini 2.0 Flash.