Unified vs. federated: which has the proven track record for managing information? In a classic case of man versus machine, the unified approach to managing information depends on human judgment and discipline, while the federated approach depends more on computer software and hardware. Which has the best track record?

• Author: Shimer, Preston W.

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Tremendous financial and human resources are being spent to automate the complex task of information management and information disposition in the digital environment. Because of the proliferation of applications, computer platforms, operating systems, and many other variables, information is being created, retained, and disposed of in an uncontrolled and undisciplined way. Everyone who creates and processes information using computers can relate to this problem. And many understand the difficulty of following record retention schedules in this digital world.

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There are two main approaches to bringing discipline and structure to this environment--he unified approach and the federated approach. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

The unified approach to managing records, which are defined by ISO 15489 as "information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business," establishes a central repository and requires that all records to be retained be moved there to be managed, referenced, and disposed of in accordance with records retention and disposition requirements. Records not moved to the central repository are retained locally and deleted after an established, brief period of time.

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Judith Lamont, writing in the May 1, 2008, issue of KMWorld, provides a useful definition of the federated approach to managing records. "Leave records in their native repositories, but manage them centrally. That way, the records do not need to be physically moved into a single location, yet a single set of retention rules can be applied. Records are 'virtualized' so that they all appear to be within the federated records management application, from which they can be searched, placed on hold, or acted on in other ways."

Competing Approaches

The process of managing information and records in all forms is incredibly complex and hard to understand. To make computer software reflect these realities is challenging for developers, and individuals who attempt to work through these solutions can quickly "get lost in the weeds." This is particularly true for decision-making senior managers who can devote only limited time to understanding the issues and who may not possess sufficient technical RIM knowledge to dissect the issues. Consequently, it is easy to understand why the person recommending a solution that seems to cause the least disruption to the status quo may get the nod to go ahead.

To understand the fundamental processes of these competing approaches, it helps to visualize the unified and federated approaches as simply as possible.

The Unified Approach to...