Trend Spotting

As I write this, I am returning from the 2012 European Information Management Conference, which was sponsored and hosted by PRISM International, NAID Europe and ARMA International. The conference included great opportunities to meet, network with and learn from one other regarding the future of records and information management (RIM) services in Europe and across the world.

In one of the most interesting sessions, some of the top minds in the RIM industry shared their ideas about the business trends we should anticipate in the next five to 10 years. The panelists for this session were Dennis Barnedt, director and CEO of The Oasis Group; Lori Palmer, executive vice president of REB Storage Systems International; and Ian Thomas, executive vice president of O’Neil Software; however, the entire audience participated in the discussion.

I thought it would be appropriate to share just a few of these trends with you in this column:

• The trend of moving from records management to infor- mation management is picking up speed. Leading-edge RIM companies are not content solely to offer warehouse space to store paper records. There is a need to add new services beyond traditional storage. Potential clients are looking for information specialists who are capable of safely housing data in any number of formats.
• Compliance, risk and legislation will continue to drive the RIM industry. One example is, of course, in Europe, where the European Commission is proposing new data protec- tion laws and stringent enforcement measures.
• Many companies are helping their clients manage the process of information and document management, providing support for the life cycle of a document or file.
• Several factors, including the need to be mobile and location independent, are driving potential clients to go paperless. The iPad and other tablet computers, as well as new apps being developed for these devices, are offering ways for clients to follow this trend. This is yet another reason why RIM companies need to diversify their services.

Look for a more complete description of these trends in an upcoming edition of InFocus magazine.

In the meantime, thanks to everyone who participated in the 2012 European Information Management Conference. We’ll see you again next year!

Dave Bergeson is the executive director of PRISM International, Chicago, and can be reached at dbergeson@prismintl.org or at 847-375-4866.