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56
I
nformation Governance (IG) has gained
increasing attention across many business
verticals in recent years and law firms are
taking notice. IG is often mistaken for Records
and Information Management, but IG is broader
in scope, taking into account who has access to
what information across all physical and electronic
storage, whether on-site, using firm infrastructure,
or in the cloud. IG considers information security
and data protection, privacy, network intrusion risk,
e-Discovery ramifications, data value to the business,
as well as records disposition. In short, IG's goal is to
maximize information value to an organization while
minimizing risks and costs.
Where do firms start?
Historically, end users are disconnected from the
business case for IG, and so the "what's in it for me"
factor has been lost in translation. Clients are, in
fact, driving this change in response to increased
regulatory compliance needs as well as ongoing data
breach threats. As custodians of their data, clients
are mandating new processes to their firms, or even
selecting firms based on their ability to effectively
govern their data—but attorneys tend to (and
should) be more focused on the practice of law than
governance of data. Success in delivering an effective
IG program is only possible through modifying
end user behavior, making IG an ongoing change
management program.
B Y N AT H A N C U R T I S
Ch-ch-ch-changes:
IG Says it's Time to Make a Change.
But How?
