Keys to unlocking an Information Management Compliance Culture.

• Author: Hohman, Christine
• Position: Book review

Information Nation: Seven Keys to Information Management Compliance, Second Edition

Author: Randolph A. Kahn and Barclay T. Blair

Publisher: Wiley Publishing Inc.

Publication Date: 2009

Length: 256 pages

Price: $50

ISBN-13: 978-0-470-45311-7

Source: www.wiley.com/compbooks

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Randolph A. Kahn and Barclay T. Blair's Information Nation: Seven Keys to Information Management Compliance, Second Ed. was written for a broad range of readers who are interested in ensuring their organization's information is properly managed. It outlines the components needed to create a culture of information management compliance (IMC), which the authors describe as "a fusion of the Compliance discipline with Information Management activities."

"IMC is about more than making sure information is not destroyed because of the malicious or inadvertent acts of a few employees," Kahn and Blair write. "Rather, it is a holistic approach that covers many areas of concern, including:

* Storage management

* Privacy

* Business continuity and disaster recovery planning

* Records management

* Information security

* Transaction management

* Application development and integration

* Technology purchasing and acquisition

* System configuration and management

* And many other areas."

The first six chapters of the book lay the groundwork for information management, which the authors refer to as an umbrella term for a variety of disciplines and activities related to information and to management, and which broadly "touches on every business activity where information is received or created." The second part demonstrates the need and benefit of managing information to reach compliance requirements.

Going Beyond Records Management

The authors guide readers to consider their roles as information managers rather than merely records managers, whose focus is more narrowly on the proper retention of records for legal, compliance, and business purposes and on its disposition when no longer needed.

How and why information management matters are clearly demonstrated in section one of the book, which describes how information has a lifecycle, or distinct phases, from creation to disposition. It also explains the current use of the buzzwords information lifecycle management (ILM) as the "combination of procedures and technology" to manage information flow.

"ILM is partly an old concept in a new wrapper, as the 'lifecycle' approach to managing information has long been a...