P2P

86 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 2 2 burden to provide and implement comprehensive IG is not too great. IG should also balance the potential benefits of internal collaboration, including multi-tenant document collaboration, which can lead to better work product. Firms must find ways to leverage Knowledge Management tools to reuse and maximize the benefits of existing knowledge in ways that don't compromise security or compliance. They must likewise embrace the benefits of external collaboration through the appropriate use of secure client access management. It's also the case that today's lawyers seek the flexibility to work remotely and be mobile. The pandemic showed how well this could work. Firms may struggle to attract and retain younger talent if they don't offer the enabling tools for remote working. But at the same time, productivity must be safeguarded, as must information security. There are also questions to be considered around efficiency and user adoption. No technology acts as an enabler if it's too difficult to use. Law firms must foster high levels of user adoption in view of client led security and IG requirements by using education and training judiciously and choosing the right technology solutions in the first place. In Summary The keys to an effective Information Governance Program lie in creating the right balance of policies and processes for content management. Controls should be implemented to, for example, restrict unauthorized document repositories, develop and track metrics of use, and mandate audits and remediation steps for policy and process violations. All this needs to work in concert with a Knowledge Management strategy that defines processes for knowledge identification and protocols for elements such as indexing/tagging, redaction, storage, search, presentation, and delivery. IG is a complicated journey that requires balancing risk and reward. The downsides of poor IG are numerous, as we've seen, while the upsides are considerable. The drivers for increased adoption of IG will ultimately revolve around the need for law firms to incur less risk, drive more efficiency and achieve more competitive advantage – elements that always remain compelling. Effective IG programs can provide today's law firms with a unique opportunity if they are willing to embrace it as the strategic imperative it is. ILTA F R O M T H E T E C H S O L U T I O N S C C T Andrew Keller is Director of Information Governance at eSentio Technologies, a world-leading provider of business and technology consulting and implementation services to the world's largest law firms. 1. eSentio's Information Governance Framework illustrates the full range of IG disciplines

• Cover