By Bryant Duhon

Q: You joined AIIM in 2003 and jumped into chapter activities with both feet. What attracted you to AIIM and involvement in the chapters?

CW: AIIM has a program that targets and provides integration/applications, vendors, speakers, and knowledge from the many professional members that surround and involve the federal government arena. This metro area is so diverse, yet has a venue for all topics. AIIM was more appealing to my career path and at the same time, I could become active as I had always to be part of the decision-making processes while still achieving my goals in experience and knowledge as a professional member. The majority of my career has been with the federal government, both as a staff member and contractor, so I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to fulfill both goals – NCC-AIIM’s need for an Executive Secretary at the time and mine to increase my knowledge.

Q: What led you switch from contractor to your current position at US NGA?

CW: I had been looking for a new opportunity over the prior two years. As you may know, some of the federal agencies do not have a robust records management program or even information management program. The position here at NGA is absolutely the closest match I have ever seen for my knowledge, skills, and abilities that matched the requirements and responsibilities of the position. I can truthfully say I am doing everything that was advertised and have had the opportunity to do more! I was a federal employee many, many years ago and left because I felt it was not challenging enough – well things and times do change. I am totally challenged daily and given opportunities and tools to meet and exceed those challenges.

Q: Your work at DOE on ECM led to your current position. How important is ECM to the success of federal agencies, especially the “three-letter acronym” agencies?

CW: Of course, ECM is so very important, not only to the federal agencies themselves but also to other agencies and corporations, etc. Almost everything processed today is done electronically and we are facing accumulations of electronic data at such a fast pace and in exponentially growing large volumes that we are literally out of storage space. An effective enterprise information/content management process with records management and disposition of this electronic mass is crucial in all future planning. When an ECM system is not in use and no plans in the near future, we lose control, funds dwindle, documentation increases, and the stifling stove-piping continues both internally and externally.

Q: What aspect of the ECM industry do you enjoy the best?

CW: The ECM industry is huge – it should cover the enterprise as a whole. The aspect I enjoy the best is when individuals (especially senior management and IT staff) really “get it” on the disposition process – that it is as basic as the process we use at home to accumulate receipts/documentation to file our annual federal income tax and then save or destroy the “information” that is necessary to prove our “mission” – that is, so we can get a refund and have proof that it’s a valid claim, that we have to keep this validating information for four years.

Q: What aspect of records management is often overlooked by your peers in implementation?

CW: The entire aspect of records management!! The federal statutes state that a Records Management program is mandatory in every federal agency. Yet, Records Management is one of the most current issues that IT staff continue to ignore, attempting to use off-line, low-cost server storage as the records management process. They attempt to use this as a solution, as they weren’t aware of RM and did not budget funds for an ECM or even an RM process. The result is realization that they are out of data storage space – and now what to do?? Well, of course, the answer is to incorporate a RM process that will provide added data storage space through disposition.

Bryant Duhon is editor of Infonomics Weekly.