Information Research Weblog

Should we be concerned?

Bilious (who turns 48 today, or was it yesterday?), I mean Bill Gates, and the absolutely altuistic Microsoft, have decided to add sender-controls to the latest version of Outlook. These controls include such things as being able to prevent recipients from forwarding, editing, saving or keeping the email. It also includes in-built "self-destruct" that can be set by the sender. See link below.

http://www.silicon.com/software/security/0,39024655,39116485,00.htm

There have been a few noises made by some RM (Records Management) people as they feel this could inpinge on their ability to do their jobs.

Despite my alarmist, Microsoft-bashing paragraph above, I'm of the opinion that MS is not doing anything evil on this occasion (and I don't think there's anything particularly evil about them except they're greedy but we all have that problem).

The problem with this is in how it will be implemented and whether users will be trained (actually, before that, that even the IT people will be trained). And I don't mean IT training, I mean RM training! What is appropriate to set as a retention period (ie. how long to keep) for emails? Can users set appropriate retention periods or will managers, lawyers etc set the periods to cover their own butts instead of doing what's ethical and legal? That's a bigger concern.

So what's the answer? RM people need to make more productive noises and be "pro-active" in their organisations and community etc. RM needs to have a higher profile to help prevent things like Enron and Arthur Andersen and such things. RM needs to be more visible so that people know the things they need to know so they can make informed and correct decisions on these issues and not act in a careless way and/or react precipitously.

Records Management (and Archiving) are struggling with a bit of an identity crisis at the moment and are suffering from being almost unknown. The organisations representing RM and Archive interests are seeking to lift the profile so that the practitioners of these occupations are seen as professionals (as much by themselves as by others). Training of those performing RM/Archive roles so that they are aware of the issues and legislation and standards etc is being pursued. This issue provides the opportunity for RM to step up and play a role, or to be even more marginalised than it currently is.

Grahame Gould, Records Manager