Interview with the Author: Saffady on Information Governance Technologies

Information Governance Technologies: A Guide, by William Saffady, is available for pre-order from Rowman & Littlefield. This book is beneficial for anyone who needs to manage records and use technology for information governance. My interview with William Saffady is below.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a records management and information governance consultant and researcher based in New York City. I have written over three dozen books and many articles on records management, record retention, document storage and retrieval technologies, and other information management topics. Recent books include Information Compliance: Fundamental Concepts and Best Practices, which was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2023; the fourth edition of Records and Information Management: Fundamentals of Professional Practice, which was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2021; and Managing Information Risks: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Responses, which was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2020.

My consulting practice involves:

• The development of strategic plans, governance models, and policies for records management programs
• Needs assessments and gap analysis for document management and content management implementations
• Development of record retention policies and schedules—including domestic and international legal research for record retention
• Development of technical specifications and RFPs for procurement of records management products and services
• Survey and analysis of privacy and data protection requirements for collection, storage, retention, and use of records that contain personally identifiable information
• Cost analysis for specific records management initiatives.

Briefly summarize Information Governance Technologies: A Guide.

The book explains and discusses nine technologies that support the business case for information governance:

1. Electronic Content Management (ECM) systems, which automate the organization, storage, retrieval, and distribution of digital documents and other unstructured digital content.
2. Records Management Application (RMA) software, which manage the retention and disposition of digital documents and other unstructured digital content.
3. Digital Preservation applications, which store digital content in stable, accessible condition for the foreseeable future.
4. Email Archiving systems, which manage the retention and disposition of email messages and attachments.
5. Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, which are specifically designed for organization, storage, retrieval, and distribution of digital photographs, video recordings, and other visual and audio content.
6. Web and Social Media Archiving applications, which collect and preserve websites and information posted on social media platforms.
7. E-Discovery software, which supports the identification, collection, preparation, review, and production of digital content in response to legal discovery requests.
8. GRC software, which addresses an organization’s governance, risk, and compliance requirements and initiatives.
9. Database Archiving software, which manages the retention and disposition of computer databases and other structured digital content.

Some of these technologies are important for all information governance programs and many business operations. Other technologies support specialized business operations or specific types of information. Some organizations may need a few of the technologies; others may utilize all of them. For each technology, the book discusses its history, business purpose, features and functions, applicable standards, and implementation options.

Why did you decide to write this book?

Technology is a critical component of information governance initiatives. Most information is created, stored, and distributed by technological resources, and information governance’s constituent disciplines depend on technology to organize and analyze information, manage the information lifecycle, retrieve information needed for a given purpose, and address risk management, compliance, and security requirements related to information.  

The book is intended for information governance specialists, information technology managers, records managers, and others who are responsible for evaluating, acquiring, and implementing technology products and services. I hope that it will also prove useful for information security specialists, data privacy managers, compliance officers, risk managers, attorneys, data scientists, archivists, and other stakeholders whose roles and responsibilities are affected by information governance technology.

What changes to information governance have you seen in the last 10 years?

This is a difficult question to answer. While the roles and responsibilities of its constituent disciplines are well established, Information governance is still an emerging concept. It was seldom mentioned before the mid-2000s. In the 1990s, a few articles and conference papers described information governance as an emerging, though vaguely defined, field with records management, legal, and information technology as key stakeholders and collaborators. These early publications did not use the phrase in the sense that it is understood today. In particular, they did not clearly differentiate information governance from information management or articulate its strategic significance and relationship to organizational governance.

Using Google Scholar as a bibliometric gauge of academic and professional interest, citations to articles and conference papers that pre-date 2010 account for just one-half of one percent of the more than 30,000 publications that contain the phrase “information governance.” According to Google Trends, which tracks the popularity of web queries, there were few Google searches for information governance as a phrase or a topic before 2010.

What changes to information governance do you anticipate in the next 10 years?

I would expect growing awareness of the importance of governing information as an organizational asset and of the relationship of information governance to other aspects of organizational governance, which is broadly defined as the systems and principles by which a company, nonprofit entity, or other organization is directed and controlled. Information governance is a focused aspect of organizational governance. It encompasses strategies, policies, responsibilities, and processes to direct and control the data, documents, and other recorded information that an organization creates, receives, maintains, and disseminates.

What should information managers do to stay current?

Information about the strategic significance of information assets and the role of technology in information governance initiatives is available from many sources.

• Product-specific information created by software developers and vendors is widely available in websites and social media posts.
• The websites and publications of industry analysts and market advisory firms provide estimates of adoption rates and projected growth for specific technologies.
• The websites and social media posts of professional associations and groups contain information about industry standards, guidelines, and best practices for evaluating, selecting, and implementing information governance technologies.
• Technology news websites that provide information about emerging technologies, new information governance products and services, and user experiences with specific technologies. They also feature opinions and commentary from industry analysts, reports of regulatory changes that are relevant for information governance, and news of mergers, acquisitions, and other industry developments.
• Bibliographic databases catalog and index publications in business, computer science, information science, and other fields related to information governance. In particular, WorldCat is the most comprehensive source for information about books, monographs, technical reports, and other publications cataloged by libraries throughout the world. Various databases index business periodicals, academic journals, conference proceedings, technical reports, and other publications that contain information about the technologies discussed in this book. Most databases can be accessed remotely through library websites and mobile apps, but a library card may be required. Google Scholar, which does not require a library card and is free of charge, indexes a wide range of publications, including technical reports, academic theses, preprints, and other materials not covered by other bibliographic databases.

What are three key concepts you hope all readers take away?

1. Technology plays an important role in information governance initiatives.
2. The nine technologies discussed in the book can address a wide range of information governance requirements.
3. An understanding of a particular technology’s business purpose, features, and functions is critical for effective implementation.