Stand & deliver: for records and information management professionals, now is the time for self-assessment, professional betterment, and business execution.

• Author: Kahn, Randolph A.

A court orders a federal agency to disconnect its computer systems from the Internet due to inadequate network security that could potentially allow a hacker to alter, delete, or move original government records.

The developer of a popular instant messaging (IM) software advises users that vulnerabilities in their product could expose computers running the software to security risks--potentially allowing remote access to records on company computers, even when the IM client is not being used to "chat."

A Venezuelan election is called into question long before it takes place when the opposition candidate asserts that the voting records captured in an electronic system can be manipulated.

It is a records manager's dream come true: executives are finally paying more than lip service to information management. A senior vice-president has even made recent inquiries to your supervisor about the records management program's status. After years of stagnant or decreasing records and information management (RIM) budgets and the inattention of senior management, your RIM program is getting the attention it deserves for the first time, and a bit more money has been made available to fund RIM initiatives. The IT department has even invited you and your colleagues to discuss Web records and the company's electronic communications policy, as they have finally recognized that storage and retention are not synonymous. Employees regularly contact your department with questions about what company records they need to keep and where they should keep them.

Who could have predicted it? RIM has gone from being the unwanted stepchild, relegated to the basement of corporate priorities, to the company rock star overnight. RIM, believe it or not, is red-hot sexy.

No doubt having a presence in the corporate spotlight has its advantages. But elevated status comes with newfound responsibilities and higher stakes. Being noticed and, therefore, subject to new levels of internal scrutiny from people who never paid much attention before should make you ask whether your RIM program is really good enough and whether your skills are ready for prime time. Can you really handle the host of serious and increasingly complex information management problems that confound your company?

Modern RIM issues have taken on a whole new meaning for companies today and most likely impact your organization in ways that even you may not fully appreciate. Are you prepared to take on these new challenges and develop the knowledge base required to add real value to the organization? Do you have the skills necessary to address retention issues that involve complex and evolving technologies? Are you prepared to work closely with the company's lawyers to deal with electronic records integrity issues that may have an impact on the company's ability to use its records as evidence or to aid litigation counsel in electronic discovery matters? Will you be able to advise business units on records creation and capture issues when electronic business transactions allow database entries to replace manually executed paper contracts?

Although RIM now matters to executives, lawyers, auditors, regulators, and judges in ways you could never have predicted, it may be a different RIM than the one you are familiar with. The records management of old that focused on the inventory, offsite storage, and retrieval of boxes of paper records has given way to a more dynamic discipline--information management compliance.

Your company and its executives expect and need you to deliver a comprehensive, compliant, and consistent RIM program that makes the business "faster, better, cheaper" and legally compliant. An effective program should provide at least a modicum of protection to the institution from the mistaken, reckless, or intentional missteps of its employees.

To do all that, RIM needs to be understandable to the employees, reasonable in design, proactively implemented and built, and managed with service-oriented professionals rich in new e-records management skills. Perceptions of the program as being complex and arcane have to give way to a new perception--that information management is valuable and doable.

The Business Environment Has Changed

It is the perfect storm. There are growing volumes of electronic information that are ubiquitously mismanaged by institutions in every industry. This exploding volume of e-content has...