According to the AIIM report “2021 State of the Intelligent Information Management Industry’, organizations need to seriously address four specific information concerns if they hope to succeed in their journey to becoming truly digital organizations.

1. The C-Suite is failing to align business and technology strategies. 
2. Organizations are losing the battle against information chaos and need to rethink outdated manual approaches to information management. 
3. Organizations need to increase their investment in critical IIM competencies.
4. Money, focus, and culture – not just technology – are key to true digital transformation.

In the past years, organizations have lived in the midst of an ongoing tidal wave of incoming information, threatening their ability to realize their long-standing digital transformation goals. This rising volume of information has been made even more complex by the increasing variety of information types that must be managed.

On top of that, information management changed in 2020 due to the impact that COVID had on demands for remote work and on the tools necessary to do so effectively and securely. 

As a result, the Intelligent Information Management Industry is struggling against two forces: 1) rising levels of information chaos, and 2) demand for new modes of working and cooperating.

So where do organizations face the greatest challenges in dealing with information chaos? 

The AIIM survey responses suggest that the answer lies at the intersection of content and processes. The two most important information challenges remain “digitizing, automating, and integrating processes” (25% say it’s the top challenge), followed closely by “managing information throughout its lifecycle” (24%). 

Within an organization, only a few people are aware of the risks of information chaos and there are local and partial initiatives, but C-level executives still need a lot of convincing to actually free (enough) resources for IIM, information governance, or even basic retention management.

Per the “2021 Audit Plan Hot Spots Report” by Gartner’s Audit Leadership Council: Organizations’ data governance practices have yet to catch up with the speed and volume of data being collected and generated. Data environments are also becoming more complex, increasing the likelihood of duplicated effort and compromised data security. Organizations are still struggling to successfully implement and enforce data governance frameworks. As they accumulate new types of data and rely on fragmented storage systems, they are more exposed to regulatory, ethical, and data security risks.”

The long-term trends driving information chaos – increasing volumes and varieties of information – are accelerating. To respond to the information challenges with the speed and agility required, business leaders must effectively leverage digital technology and establish quick and reliable methods for identifying needs, adjusting plans, and measuring results.

So how does the future look like? 

Let’s discover it together with Ronny Timmermans in his last article “How does 2022 look like for the Intelligent Information Industry“.