Data is a given. Even in the days before the technology boom, companies generated paper records that had to be stored and protected for later retrieval. These organisations, without the benefit of IT, were able to create chaotic mountains of records with only a few enlightened employees able to control it all.
Technology has simply increased the data load as it has become easy to generate business records and dirt cheap to store it - and there are still only a few experts who know how to manage it. Along with the ability to create data, the rise of technology and its ability to improve productivity, gain competitive advantage and increase sales also led to the creation of a new job focused on the management of corporate technology.
"Starting out as a humble data processing manager hidden away in the back room with huge pieces of IT equipment with the same processing power as today`s digital wrist watches, the person in this new job saw his/her influence grow as business discovered the potential value of IT," says Paul Mullon, marketing director of Metrofile. "Soon the job title evolved to IS manager, then to IT manager and finally we now have a chief information officer (CIO)."
The height of the dot-com boom signalled the heyday of the CIO. This was not simply a technical manager anymore, but an executive, even a board member able to request (and receive) huge sums of money to purchase new technology that would deliver business Utopia.
The debate around whether or not technology has achieved its stated goals or whether IT has actually delivered value to business is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say, the pressure these individuals now find themselves under to deliver real business value could serve as an indication of their success.
"What is important to note is the fact that the CIO has held a very high-profile position and has had a great influence in setting the strategic direction for many companies," says Mullon. "The position has commanded a high salary and in many instances was held in awe by the rest of the company, because, frankly, nobody understood a word of what was being said by these techno-gurus." Corporate treasure in the basement
Diametrically opposed to the lofty status of the CIO is that of the corporate archivist, librarian or records manager. Staff in these relatively poorly paid roles are often seen as low-skilled clerks and relegated to the basement where they are seldom seen, hardly heard and only called into the executive office when vital documents go missing.
"Not everybody can sit on the board and attract high salaries, but listening to what these supposed lowly clerks have to say is critical," asserts Mullon. "If companies are to take corporate governance and the new compliance laws seriously, they need to ensure their records are kept and managed as legislated. The archivist or records manager is key in this pursuit."
The reason Mullon believes it`s time to blow the dust off the corporate archivist is that many companies rely on CIO-level staff to make the appropriate decisions on what technology should be used when it comes to long-term records preservation.
"The nature of the archivist`s job requires them to acquire, protect and ultimately destroy documents and records," explains Mullon. "To put it bluntly, they know what records there are, where they are, what format they are in, how important they are and, perhaps most importantly, how to find them quickly.
"These employees are able to translate their knowledge of corporate records and filing systems into an effective theoretical solution that the CIO can map to the latest technology. Unfortunately, the IT-is-king manner of working is to buy some form of records management technology and force-fit business data to its architecture - a recipe for failure. And failure could mean falling foul of compliance laws, which could see directors in court."
The most effective records management solution, which generally also turns out to be the most cost-effective solution, can only be discovered when IT and records professionals co-operate. Together they can ascertain what information management technology and media will deliver the most value, while taking available technology and the associated costs into account.
It is only by working together that these two individuals will be able to create the optimal records management solution for their organisations. The CIO will bring the technical side of the solution to the table and have this balanced by the practical records management experience of the archivist.
"Elevating the status of the archivist may deliver some surprising results," concludes Mullon. "Selecting a records management technology does not necessarily mean high-technology, but could refer to filing cabinets, paper, microfilm, video or even carved stone tablets if that is the best solution for the organisation. It`s not the technology, but the value that the CIO and archivist create that counts."
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Metrofile is the South African market leader in the management of business documents, and is committed to help customers reduce costs and improve productivity in processes that are centred on documents and corporate records.
All companies have a combination of paper and electronic documents, and are forced by law and customer requirements to secure the availability of the documents for the duration of their lifecycle. For most organisations, the volume of documents is growing at an exponential rate, and is becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Metrofile is uniquely positioned to provide consulting and implementation of full lifecycle paper and electronic records management solutions from storage and conversion through to destruction.
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