Insights.
Insights.
With over 25 years of information governance practice, we have gained insights into what works and what hasnt worked. We share our knowledge here, along with some practical knowhow.
Latest posts
Designing an Information Asset Register
Your mission is to build an information asset register Designing an information asset register (IAR) sounds easy. But as soon as you start, a number of questions emerge. What are the business drivers? Compliance requirements? Findability problems? Privacy and Data...
Building a Taxonomy Framework
Taxonomy - what's in the name? The term Taxonomy is used widely used across a range of contexts and depending on which discipline you follow you will encounter multiple definitions. According to Wikipedia, the word taxonomy finds its roots in the Greek language:...
Data Collection is becoming a costly game to play
"Data is the new oil" Over the last decade, the constant refrain from the digital media is that data is an asset to be leveraged, in order to generate value for the business.Data is an asset. What is its value? | by Adam Votava | Towards Data Science As a product or...
An Australian tsunami of cybersecurity breaches
While the rest of the world were stiffening their cybersecurity systems and privacy legislation, the previous Australia government refused to address the growing problem of identity theft and cybersecurity fraud.
Data security: not just an IT issue
Data security threats aren’t just coming from outside the organisation. A large portion of data breaches are directly caused by human error.
Better than a spreadsheet
It can be tempting to use a spreadsheet to build information governance tools, but purpose-built software like a.k.a. offers big advantages.
Before you start building your new classification (metadata) scheme…
It’s hard to build a classification scheme that stands the test of time. Those that persist do so because they meet the collective needs of the organisation.
What makes metadata work?
Businesses that develop fit-for-purpose standardised metadata can find the right information, in the right place, at the right time.
Information asset registers: the Swiss Army knife for compliance
The rampant spread of Microsoft Teams sites happened so quickly that access and security controls couldn’t keep pace.
Recordkeeping: what’s changed in 5,000 years?
Almost anywhere there’s evidence of trade, there’s evidence of someone keeping tabs on who owns what and who owes who.
Records don’t have rights
As well as minimising data security risks, timely disposal protects the sensitive information entrusted to organisations.
Information asset registers: the ultimate onboarding tool
Information asset registers have an often overlooked application: a self-serve means of navigating the organisation.
Being shovel ready for Microsoft 365
At Synercon, we managed a speedy re-platform because we had all the knowledge needed to build a new information architecture in SharePoint.
Metadata really does make digital transformation easier!
Most organisations fail to execute their digital transformation strategy because they don’t know where to start or how to clean up the current mess.
Intelligent automation of recordkeeping – an approach that really works
We combined existing knowledge and toolsets build an intelligent automation platform for records and information management.
Barriers to autoclassification for information governance and how to overcome them
To enable automation we need to transform our information governance controls into machine readable formats that underpin autoclassification.
Why you need ontologies to automate records appraisal and classification
Autoclassification depends on machine readable data models, such as ontologies, that convey the requisite knowledge.
Eating our own (autoclassification) dogfood and loving it
We autoclassified and appraised our legacy client records with help from our partner, Pingar. These were the results.
A rehash on DIRKS
Few people outside of the records management sector are familiar with the DIRKS methodology. So what is it?
Classification definitions and sources
A short but useful guide, defining some of the common terminology used when describing classification schemes.
The dark art of classification
There is both art and science in creating classification schemes. The starting point is understanding the needs of your organisation.
Building an enterprise framework for data governance
The starting point for data governance is to build a framework representing the business environment – we call this Enterprise DNA.
Why do we need canonical data models for information governance?
The canonical data model is the accepted standard for logical data models and it provides software developers with a standard template to build to.
Metadata and taxonomies in a “broader” context
Managing metadata and developing taxonomies is easy! And so it is – when you are working within a confined context.
Metadata and taxonomies – who’s in control?
When major systems fail, poor governance is often cited as the reason. Dig in and you’ll find taxonomy and data/metadata quality is a factor.
Automating recordkeeping (Conni Christensen, Image and Data Manager)
Read about our research with metadata and data models to enable automation in this August 2014 issue of Information and Data Manager.
a.k.a. software
a.k.a. software unites several key information governance requirements within a single application.
Understanding metadata
With so many standards to choose from, it’s essential to understand the types of metadata standards and their purpose.
The metadata challenge
Without defined rules, descriptive metadata becomes subjective and results in ambiguous language.
The language of metadata
Our challenge is harnessing language as a tool for describing information resources with consistency and precision.
The value of metadata
It’s not surprising that users opt out of records management systems that don’t deliver functionality for adding, connecting and leveraging metadata.
What IM professionals need to know: Entity relationship modelling
The challenge is building information governance tools that fit into a variety of information architectures. And this is where entity relationship modelling is useful.
Automating recordkeeping – what’s holding us back?
By studying successful systems, we can understand which design and functionality features will allow us to automate recordkeeping processes.
“Government agencies and programs operate in an informational stone age”
Shortcomings of digital recordkeeping aren’t due to implementation, training or change management – it’s the design of recordkeeping systems.
Classification – more than just searching
Little is said about the theory and discipline of building classification schemes beyond their search and retrieval function.
Enterprise DNA
The info genome is a documented map of your entire organisation that grows as knowledge about information assets is gathered.
5 information governance essentials
There’s no silver bullet software solution. Before investing in new information governance technology, try these five enablers.
A is for aggregation
Aggregation allows for greater context when managing records, but there are challenges to achieving it in a digital environment.
Recordkeeping, digital transition and child protection
Digital transition can support child protection efforts by overcoming the issues of access to, incomplete and inaccurate records.
C is for continuum
The records continuum: what is is, how it works, the benefits, and innovations.
Are records managers the next technology refugees?
Today’s records managers need to be taxonomists, metadata managers, business analysts, system designers, systems integrators, and trainers.
Taxonomy software vs the spreadsheet
Five good reasons to invest in specialist software for building taxonomies or metadata, instead of using a spreadsheet.
“It’s time for information governance”
This article by Barclay Blair, which appeared in CIO Update, provides definitions and examples of information governance.
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