Implement Information Lifecycle Management
Position information lifecycle management as a regulatory insurance policy and ensure the most critical business processes have adequate coverage.
- With the growth of unstructured information, the mounting regulatory pressures, and the rise of shadow IT organizations can no longer afford to put Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) on the back burner.
- The number one reason that ILM initiatives fail to deliver value is because organizations over-scope the project and aim for perfection. Trying to tackle every type of information in the organization at once will over-complicate the project, prevent progress, and ultimately hurt the momentum for ILM.
- Without ILM, organizations experience long wait times for information, information leakages, uninformed decision making, and hefty fines for noncompliance.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Organizations should address information lifecycle management at the business process level, as opposed to the department level, in order to capture a holistic view of the information across different functional groups.
- Focusing on just the strategic business processes with a high probability of being found noncompliant with regulatory requirements will yield the greatest benefit and also keep the scope of the project much more manageable.
Impact and Result
- Do not take a tool first approach to ILM. Organizations must first address the ILM people and process components before committing to an information management application. Ultimately, the people and processes will drive technology needs.
- Analyze ILM at the business process level by creating business process diagrams and identifying all of the information created as a result. Then for each information artifact determine the level of care to be provided by stipulating the retention, metadata, and security requirements.
- Organizations implementing ILM can expect to experience: a 15-30% lower total cost of ownership for future storage, 2.65x less money wasted on noncompliance, and a 30% increase in professional staff productivity.
Workshop: Implement Information Lifecycle Management
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Business Process Analysis
The Purpose
- Introduce Info-Tech Methodology.
- Secure the approval and funding needed for the ILM project.
- Gauge ILM complexity of your organization.
- Determine the most critical business processes in the organization.
- Identify all information artifacts associated with the most critical business processes.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Executive buy-in and commitment to the project.
- A firm grasp on the ILM complexity facing your organization.
- An optimal scope for the ILM project.
- A comprehensive list of all information artifacts associated with a business process.
Activities
Outputs
Draft the ILM project charter.
- Completed ILM project charter
Complete ILM Complexity Assessment.
- Awareness of ILM complexity and the recommended approach to ILM.
Complete the ILM Business Process Evaluation.
- A business process ILM risk map.
Select the most critical business processes.
- A finalized scope for the ILM project.
Map the most critical business processes.
- Business process diagrams for the most critical business processes.
Brainstorm all information artifacts associated with each business process.
- A list of all information created by the process.
Module 2: ILM Level of Care
The Purpose
- Determine the level of care to be provided for each information artifact associated with the critical business processes.
- Identify the ILM people, process, and technology components required to meet the level of care.
- Create a roadmap to address any ILM people, process, and technology capability gaps.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A well-defined level of care for each information artifact that ensures regulatory compliance and empowers decision makers.
- A comprehensive plan to address any people, process, and technology barriers standing in the way of achieving your target state.
Activities
Outputs
Identify the retention period, metadata, and security to be provided for each information artifact associated with critical processes.
- An ILM requirements summary table.
Complete ILM Current and Target State Assessment.
- A prioritized ILM capability gap list.
Prioritize any gaps between the current and target state.
- A roadmap to address ILM capability gaps.
Develop an action plan to address the high priority gaps.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 4 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
- Call 1: Structure the ILM project
Review the ILM project charter to ensure you have the resources required to complete the project and discuss strategies for getting executives to support and participate in the project.
- Call 2: Determine your ILM complexity
Discuss the major drivers of your ILM complexity and the results of your assessment. Review the different approaches to ILM and determine the best approach for your organization.
- Call 3: Conduct an ILM business process assessment
Determine the ideal business processes to be included in the ILM project. Discuss the results of the current and target state business process assessment and the ILM capability gaps identified.
- Call 4: Build an ILM landscape
Review any of the ILM documentation you have completed, including: ILM Resource Plan, Information Governance Charter, ILM Policy, Records Retention Schedule, Information Disposition and Retention Policy, Communication and Training Plan, or ILM Audit Checklist.
Contributors
- Duff & Phelps
- Collabware
- Index Engines
- CommVault Systems
- Central Otago District
- Datacom
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