How secure is secure when it comes to corporate information?

Security has become a raging issue these days, not unlike the days Grandpa talked about when the military coined the phrase, “loose lips sink ships” as the mantra to keep information secure at all levels including your conversations. This is still true today with the advent of cellular technology allowing us to converse anywhere at anytime to anyone and thinking our conversation will go unheard by those around us. Aside from the obvious, this same technology allows us to share textual information in the form of IM (instant messaging) and email creation and response. Think about the amount of information that is transmitted and transferred daily for business purposes. Staggering!

In Today’s World

The whole idea of loose lips sinking ships can now be applied to cell conversations, email communications, IM and even portable storage devices like thumb drives that allow us to take information with us everywhere we go. Imagine what would happen if you had some of your corporate intellectual property in your possession. Let’s say it is in electronic form stored on a thumb drive that is disguised as a pen. (I know it is sounds Secret Agent like, but I happen to own one.) Now let’s imagine that the “pen” falls from your pocket or briefcase, at the airport, without you knowing it. An unsuspecting person, walking by a short time later, happens upon this nice looking pen and picks it up, not knowing the hidden secret that lies within.

As time passes, the innocent bystander, now owner of the pen, happens to twist it only to find that is contains a thumb drive. Wow, this is an amazing device! Without delay it is placed into the USB port where the entire content is now available for viewing, all the while, you are wondering what happened to the device and worried of who might have it now. Fortunately for you, this person has no idea what the information means, deletes it and uses the device for other purposes.

Prepare for the Unexpected

This is but one example of things that can and will go wrong in today’s world. This same scenario could have used a cell phone or even as we have seen all too often in the news lately, someone’s laptop PC. It is easy to see why one might think their information management practices are out of control.

The key is to prepare and expect the unexpected. Know that these devices exist, people will use them and information will be transferred in many ways. The idea is for you to implement and communicate a strong record and content management policy that details proper corporate procedure in relation to corporate information. The incorporation of (ERM) Electronic Records Management and ECM (Enterprise Content Management) systems that fully support your records and retention policies will provide a stronger position for you to enforce information management practices. If loose lips could sink ships, uncontrolled information could easily sink corporations.

Next Steps

You now have a batter understanding of the risk and what you should do to tighten security around your information. The question is where do you begin to learn about the best practices and gain the knowledge that will allow you to act?

The answer is simple, AIIM. You have already begun your journey and now it is time to expand upon what you have learned in this article by considering the benefits gained from attending and completing one of the AIIM Education offerings in ERM or ECM. Each of these programs presents the strategies, concepts and processes associated with a holistic approach rather than compartmentalized summations. In the Masters programs, you will take all that you have learned and apply it to a case study scenario that ties it all together in a practical way. Can you afford to wait?

Bob Larrivee is Director and Industry Advisor at AIIM International, the world leader in providing education and training in ECM, ERM, BPM, IOA, EMM, E2.0 and PDF/A. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it