SharePoint & Records Management, Retention Management, Risk Management... Oh my!

I have been a member of ARMA since 1999 and ever since I entered the association and began networking, attending educational sessions, and researching, the profession has been focused on electronic records management.

The modernization of many traditional paper-based records management programs has led to numerous variations of RIM programs. Unfortunately for a very small few remaining organizations, the programs address physical records, some expand to imaged documents and collections of documents, stil others have dabbled (many times) first in email and/or document solutions or both with often times combinations of solutions for physical, imaging, document and email solutions existing in non-integrated or seemingly (what I mean is that it may appear to be integrated in the UI but is managed separately) Electronic Records Management Systems (ERMS).

Today, it seems that all organizations (public and private) are faced with the question, "Are you or do you plan to use SharePoint in your organization?" This is evidenced by the sheer number of sessions at conferences, seminars, webinars (both ARMA and vendor-driven), articles, etc. What SharePoint poses is a collaboration tool retrofitted (may not be the best word-choice, but you get my meaning) into the document and records management world. After the momentum of the clammering masses within organizations to embrace the socio-technical trend has been raised to a boiling point, organizations leadership (beit IT, Compliance, Legal, etc.) have allowed SharePoint to break down the long-held wall.

In my next post, I will explore some of the trends and discuss approaches to the modernization of traditional records management programs. It will most likely generate a lot of varying perspectives and positions, but, to use that oft-used phrase, "It is what it is."

In the meantime, please comment with any insights and/or experiences you have swirling around SharePoint. (Gee, I couldn't leave the scope more open could I?)

Until than, stay above the RIM!