Just another New Year? I don't think so!

First let me wish all of you a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2008

2007 brought us some very interesting changes and pressure for how we conduct business. We saw the impact of the Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) and how they may also bring our personal information systems into litigation. This in itself warrants a closer look at how our businesses operate and the governance or need for governance over our information and process management practices.

2008 should be no less exciting with new enhancements coming and the major players like Microsoft and yes, even Google, making strides toward providing higher levels of content, records and process management capabilities in their products. We will continue to see activity in the compression of the industry like that of IBM's acquisition of FileNet but we will likely see a series of new companies emerge as a result. These companies could enter the scene with a tighter focus on vertical application rather than broad brush or horizontal use. In particular, these companies are likely to target the Small to Medium Business (SMB) space as segment specialists.

Let us not forget technology advancement itself. Consumer demand is reaching a new level for automated solutions in storage, capture and classification. This is especially true in relation to managing email. The driver for this being a need for tighter compliance with Government and industry regulatory requirements and discovery.

2007 saw a global surge in the need for training in every aspect of information management. 2008 will find this need for education growing at exponential rates. AIIM stands ready with over 5,000 students successfully completing our focused courses to date and classes are already filling for the 2008 calendar.

2008 brings with it new challenges in information management. AIIM is the best place to begin preparing. Check out the education section of our site today and take your first steps to a successful year. http://www.aiim.org/education/certificate.asp

Bob Larrivee - AIIM