Picture this: playing a strategic role in your organization: expanding your IT knowledge, using GARP[R] tools to assess your program, and communicating the results and action plan to senior management will help them picture you and your program as strategically important to your organization's success.

AuthorEnns, Lois
PositionRIM FUNDAMENTALS

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Some estimates are that up to 80% of an organization's electronic information is found in the form of unstructured content, or files created using desktop applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, or Adobe Acrobat as cited in Province of British Columbia, 2011. Unlike structured content found in databases, unstructured content does not have built-in physical or intellectual controls.

Files are created using numerous applications and stored on any number of storage media (e.g., personal computers, servers, external hard drives, flash memory devices, and DVDs). Initially, organizations may implement policies and procedures to provide staff with direction on how to manage unstructured content using the customizable folder structures available through the software operating system, but, over time, a more sophisticated software solution is often required.

Understanding Software Information Management Systems

Software information management systems for unstructured content leverage and extend the file properties embedded in each file by the native application and the operating system. These file properties include file name, date created, date modified, owner, author, company name, format extension, and others, totaling up to 300 properties for a single format.

A selection of file properties are typically exposed to the user's view in the operating system's detailed file listing, or the properties can be viewed and edited from within the application, usually from the file menu. File properties are also referred to as metadata, or data that describes the content, context, and structure of an information object and its management through time.

By using a database to extract and add to existing metadata, software information management systems create a structured environment for unstructured content. For example, a location file property tracks where a file physically resides in electronic storage, an access control property tracks who can view or edit the file, and so on.

Since there are numerous applications and file formats serving many business needs, software information management systems are customized to support specific types of activities, including images and scans, document libraries, e-mail, or web content. From a records and information management (RIM) perspective, these software management systems are often discussed in terms of document, records, and content management software systems.

Document Management Systems

Document management software systems might better be called digital object management systems, as there are a number of types of systems focusing on different types of files in addition to documents. These systems typically provide services, such as capture, indexing, versioning, search, storage, retrieval, collaboration, workflow, publication, distribution, and security.

Document management systems may be customized to provide these services for a specific type of files. For example, a digital...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT