Information and storage Management solutions

See which myths about information management solutions keep cropping up, and learn the truth you need to know.

Myth: When it comes to retaining records, more is better – and saving everything scores extra points.

This is Thelma. A few years ago, she was assigned the task of coming up with some information management solutions options for her employer. Thelma was a meticulously organized person at home, down to alphabetizing her spice rack, stacking linens by hue in the correct rainbow order, and even rotating the entire contents of her closets according to season.

It was no different at work. Thelma was the natural choice for this project, as everyone knew she had a mind like a steel trap, and could, on command, locate a specific Post-It note that might have had a notation scribbled on it thirteen months ago and adhered to some surface, somewhere. She approached this new responsibility with the gusto and dedication you might only expect to see in a curator at a fine art museum. She saved everything. Everything. It was neatly arranged, catalogued, and stored in the file room, retrievable near-instantly by her and her alone.

So, Thelma has achieved the ultimate in information management solutions, right?

It’s easy to see why so many believe this myth. Think back to your days in school. The straight-A students showed up with pencils sharpened, sat in the front row of class, and alphabetized their notebooks by subject. They kept every notebook from every class for their entire academic career. Fast-forward to the corporate world, and these are the employees beaming with pride because they know where every paper ever created since the doors opened is stored. Nothing has ever been destroyed – not by accident, and certainly not on purpose.

Truth is…

Retaining all records adds unnecessary infrastructure and storage costs. Now, before you boast that yours is a completely paperless organization, wait. It’s true that electronic storage is cheaper than paper archives, but nothing is free. Even e-copies take up memory, add electronic clutter, and need the physical support of a server room. Retained files also require security to prevent a breach. And remember, anything saved is discoverable—that’s a hard truth that may hurt you in the event that you need to defend your organization against a lawsuit.

Here are some statistics for thought. Executives waste six weeks a year looking for lost documents (Fast Company Magazine, 8/04) and employees spend 15% to 35% of their time searching for the information they need to do their jobs. Two hours a day looking for information is a scary time suck. If they do find the information, they wasted two hours getting there. If they don’t, they’ll spend more time recreating it and risk duplication.