This is the fifth and final post of a multi-part recap of the 2016 e-Records Conference. Presentation materials from the conference are available on the e-Records 2016 website.

1. At the Intersection of Technology and Records Management
2. “Accessing the Texas Digital Archive” and “Enterprise Information Management in Sharepoint 2016”
3. “Process Mapping as a Best Practice” and “Email Redactions Made Easy”
4. “Case Study: Disposing of Paper Records After Scanning” and “Digital Workflow Optimization and Automation”
5. “Vendor Neutral Data Management and Record Retention” and “Records Management vs. #recordsmanagementrocks”

“Vendor Neutral Data Management and Records Retention”

One of today’s greatest challenges in RM for any organization comes from vendor applications that cause data silos – data workflows that are focused around a specific application, data type, use case, or task.  The smaller your data set is, the more options you have for managing it.  But increasingly, organizations are dealing with large data sets that must be managed in a cohesive, connected way.  More silos means data becomes more difficult to manage and protect.  David Cerf, President and CEO of StrongBox Data Solutions, presented on the need for organizations to develop ways to organize and manage data in a streamlined way that addresses long-standing obstacles to cost-containment, risk reduction, and productivity optimization.

Mr. Cerf emphasized the need for cognitive data management solutions that assist with storing and protecting your data.  After all, if you can’t get to your data when you need it, why did you bother saving it in the first place?  Management of data is changing: long-term storage requirements are increasing, and more organizations are dealing with records with far longer retention periods (20+ to 50+ years).  This feeds into one of the main points of Mr. Cerf’s presentation: your data is your data, and the concept of control needs to stay with you.  By utilizing a cognitive data management solution, you will be able to manage control over how you search, how discovery happens, and how orchestration is set up to access your data.

The full presentation is available in PDF format on our e-Records information page.

“Records Management vs. #recordsmanagementrocks!”

Sarah Hendricks, Project Manager for the Texas Department of Public Safety, presented a breakdown of the differences in the workforce we are all experiencing by having multiple generations working together at the same time.  Currently, there are four generations in the workforce: Traditionalists (born 1900-1945), Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Generation X (born 1965-1981), and Millennials (born 1982-present).  Traditionalists were defined by such events as the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, FDR’s New Deal, Pearl Harbor and WWII, and the Space Age.  Baby Boomers were influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, space travel, Woodstock, and a long period of economic prosperity.  Generation X dealt with events like the end of the Cold War, Watergate, dual income families and the first generation of latchkey kids, corporate downsizing, and the Oklahoma City bombing.  Millennials are being defined by the internet explosion, blogging, Wikipedia and Google, social media, economic expansion, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Additionally, each generation viewed technology and records differently.  Traditionalists kept records on paper, and received news through newspapers, radio, books, and magazines.  The major technological breakthroughs for their generation were the automobile and the rotary phone.  Baby Boomers kept records on paper as well, but also started experimenting with room-sized computers and floppy disks, and utilized technology like the  touch tone phone, reel to reel film, and the microwave.  Generation X moved away from paper record keeping and began using a variety of technologies like floppy disks, VHS tapes, CDs, and cassettes.  They were further influenced by advances with the portable phone, dial-up internet, and email.  Millennials moved even further away from paper records into a more paperless environment of cloud computing, increased use of email and social media, wi-fi internet, and smartphones.

So how does a records management officer communicate about records management with all of these different generations?  By making information available in a variety of formats.  Ms. Hendricks has worked to provide information and training through a variety of channels in order to communicate in ways that different generations would be most comfortable with.  A Traditionalist might be most comfortable accessing policies and procedures in written form, so Ms. Hendricks has ensured that all policies and procedures are available in writing.  A millennial may be more comfortable with electronic communications, so Ms. Hendricks has made training available through blogs and webinars.  She has built a robust intranet presence to provide a plethora of information, linking webinars, training modules, The Texas Record blog, and even has a calendar of retention periods that updates daily to let records managers know the exact date a record must have been created or closed on in order to dispose of it.  So whether it’s accessing a paper printout of the schedule, calling Ms. Hendricks on the phone, sending an email, or viewing a webinar, employees have a number of choices to access the records management information that they need.

The full presentation is available in PDF format on our e-Records information page.