Once again this week we are hearing
about email as a source of reference in a hearing and the problematic issue for
organizations. I am of course referring to the current inquest into Goldman Sachs
and the references made to internal emails between Goldman Sachs employees
about how bad the products they were selling were for prospective buyers. (I
left out the expletive used but suffice to say there was one in place of the
word bad.) When asked by the Congressional inquisitor about the email in
question, the response - I am paraphrasing here - was that it was unfortunate
that it was written.
It is no secret that email is the major
pain point in most organizations these days, not only that it exists but how it
is used and what to actually keep. Controlling email use should be one of the
prime focal points of any organizational policy and that policy should address
appropriate use, retention, and disposition. There should be definition as to
what constitutes an official record of business and how to declare it for
management by the records management department. There should be similar
guidelines on content and information not deemed a record but considered having
enough value to maintain for a set length of time. Just as important, there
needs to be extensive training so the employees are aware of these policies and
monitoring of the information environment to ensure these policies are adhered
to.
It is not my position to judge whether
what they did was right or wrong, that is up to the Justice Department and
other government officials. I do feel however that there are lessoned to be
learned that are missed for whatever reason. You would think that after what
happened to Morgan Stanley with regard to email, others would stand up and take
notice, yet here we are once again with a financial institution being
investigated and email becomes the focal point of interest in moving the case
forward.
In my view, the tools are there to help
manage email, and the policies in place should address email as part of the
overall governance of information within the enterprise. I find it difficult to
understand how and why so many companies find themselves in precarious
positions due to email when it is possible to get it all under control. Maybe
this time, the lesson will be learned and others will now stand up and take
notice that they too could be at risk in how email is used and how it is
managed.
What say you? What
are your thoughts on this topic and how are you managing your emails?
Email: Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org
Follow me on twitter –
BobLarrivee
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