When I hear folks talk about information of any type, inevitably they will bring up the topics of privacy and security. Is an ECM system secure? Is an ERM system secure? I usually smile and say let’s look at it all, not just the perspective of electronically stored information versus paper based, but let’s take a holistic view. We all know paper and electronically stored information occasionally escapes and somehow appears where it should not. Is it the fault of the paper or electronic information? Did it somehow make a conscious decision to leave the confines of its storage facility to meander aimlessly into the hands of someone who should not have access to it? While we have so-called intelligent systems and information, I cannot accept that is has reached the point where information can decide on its own to be released.
My view, and some may differ with this perspective, is that the weakest link in the information chain is typically human. It is humans who remove paper files and mistakenly or purposely leave it out for unauthorized access. It is the human link who copies electronically stored files onto removable devices and in email attachments to release it from its captive bonds in the repositories of the corporate archives. It is the human element who loses removable media and laptops containing confidential information.
Even beyond this, without realizing it is happening, folks are in the open discussing confidential information over cell phones in airports, restaurants and conference show floors. It is the human element placing information into the hands of others through what they believe to be secure platforms using social media sites. It is the human factor we should be looking at and scrutinizing and it is we who should put the mechanisms and tools in place to ensure our information is secure and protected. It is we who must ensure that there is a way to monitor the activities of those we hold in confidence and trust with our information. Do you have a way to track the activities of those you employ? Do you have a means of identifying potential breaches of security?
What say you? How do you determine monitor and secure your information? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization is doing.
Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join me for the BPM Certificate course in Chicago, IL from September 22-25. I look forward to seeing you there.
Bob Larrivee – AIIM
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