Beyond Keywords to the Valuable Professional: Essential to Business Decisions

February 1, 2012

The write-up “Can Search Replace the Perfect Secretary?” is a bit older but is still worth some reflection. Critical business decisions are being made without proper time, reflection, or even the correct data in hand.

The write-up provides a reflection on several reports related to the importance of finding information for business decisions. In a report by the Economic Intelligence Unit one very significant reiterated the importance of the need to find the right data in a timely fashion.

Almost half the businesses surveyed for the Economist Intelligence Unit report Game Changer say that the complexity of the environments in which they operate have forced them to extend decision making times over the past five years, with only about a fifth saying that times have fallen. They’re reasonably confident about collecting and analysing data, but much less comfortable when it comes to making decisions based on it.

In short, so much information exists that it hard to trust that the “right” information has been located and thus a decision takes more time. Most knowledge workers can search within the enterprise but it is not efficient searching and it may not be the most accurate.  And while the promise of “keyword” searching is grand, the more valuable investment is that of a knowledgeable information professional.

Constance Ard, February 1, 2012

1 Comment | Business, Information Management, Information Professionals, Search, Strategic Planning | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

As Google Goes, So Goes the World: Relevance in Search Loses Ground

January 12, 2012

In Wired’s With Search+, Google Fires Another Shot at Facebook, the author unwittingly summarizes the reason for the play.

The desire to displace Facebook leaves Google scrambling for plays that will allow them to become the “social” space and drive the growth of their business. Those in the know understand that their business is not search.

Thus I find inaccuracy in the following statement by the author:

Launched Tuesday, Google’s new Search+ initiative integrates results culled from your Google+ social network connections into Google search queries, a major step into providing relevant social content into the company’s namesake product.

Doing a search for myself this morning, I find that the relevant information that I would desire was driven down the page of results by “social” results.  As an information professional I see this latest play by Google as an indication that relevance for the average user is now being defined by Google Search, not relevant information.

So Google+, social search, and Google are making great strides to promote their business but the notion that these results are relevant are laughable to a serious seeker of information.   I shall laugh my way to more effective search engines such as  Yandex, duckduckgo and even Bing.

Constance Ard, January 12, 2012

Leave a Comment » | Business, Information Professionals, Search, Value | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

Multitasking Is a Devil: Concentration and Focus Are Important to Productivity

January 3, 2012

In recent years it seems that multitasking with a multitude of electronic devices is the key to productivity, at least per some. This New York Times article sets the stage for a transformative thought pattern that I can get behind.  In “The Year of Multitasker’s Revenge”  Phyllis Korkki discusses the impact that electronic devices and apps have had on today’s worker.

Of note, and I love the opportunity that is presented with this observation, is the need for more training. I think training information workers especially offers information professionals a new venue for offering valuable services.  The article also points out the impact of that multitasking has in today’s challenging economy and the rise of independent workers and the trend of unemployment are significant factors to consider.

I think the most notable offering in this article is the statement about the benefit of boundaries.

More workers will probably revolt against the idea that they must be “on” all the time, recognizing that both their work and personal lives will improve if they create stricter boundaries. Sometimes this expectation is self-imposed; at other times, it’s part of the corporate culture.

I think that for companies to be productive, innovative and capable they must understand the need for workers to dedicate time to think, plan, strategize and focus.  With that, rather than devices and constant connectivity, comes the opportunity to improve.

Constance Ard, January 3, 2012

Leave a Comment » | Business, Information Professionals, Professional Development, Strategic Planning | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

Information Audit Meets Talent and Possibility Audit

December 13, 2011

I just recently finished drafting the text of my upcoming study from the Ark Group, Adding Value to Corporate Libraries and Information Services. I’m excited because I had  great input from various information experts such as Ulla de Stricker, Beth Maser, Connie Crosby, and so many more. (Yes this is a tease.) One of the things I determined as I wrote the book was that not only are information audits critical in corporate libraries but so too are talent audits.

Understanding the talents, interests and abilities of the information professional’s staff affords a world of possible new services, or at the very least, new and better ways to do those core functions that are so important to an organization’s ability to use information effectively.

So I encourage you to create an opportunity to assess the  possibilities that  will benefit your organization and inspire your staff.  Challenges are a great way to boost morale and employee engagement.  And new possibilities delivered by current staff, that is a definitely path to adding value.

Constance Ard, December 13, 2011

Leave a Comment » | Business, Information Management, Information Professionals, Value | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

Taxonomy: It Just Isn’t Easy

November 17, 2011

I was intrigued to read a post over at TaxoDairy, a blog hosted by my friends at Access Innovations. “One Size Fits All Taxonomies” caught my attention because I’m a firm believer that all taxonomies, especially those at the enterprise level, need custom fits. Then I realized that the author was really calling into question WAND Inc.’s behemeth solution to taxonomies.

Many of the companies I work with are so small that the great and accurate work that can be done by Access Innovations isn’t the best answer. As the author explains:

Pre-set taxonomies and automated classification and tagging can be tempting, but as we all know, cookie cutter indexing isn’t comprehensive.

I totally agree that cookie cutter indexing has its flaws. However, after having created several custom taxonomies, I see the joy of a machine assisted taxonomies.  I think the blend of human and computer can work in the right environment.

Constance Ard November 17, 2011

Leave a Comment » | Business, Information Management, Information Professionals, Taxonomy | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

Inaccessible Information? Companies Must Show Proper Proof

November 9, 2011

The Gibson Dunn Mid-Year Electronic Discovery Law Update – Part 1  from Advanced Discovery gives a great overview of the report .

Sanctions, Legal Hold Processes, Cooperation and Inaccessible Information are looked at in this first blog post.  The author talks about one item of particular interest to Answer Maven: Inaccessible Information.  Since we are so interested in good information management practices, knowing where data lives and how users access data that caught our attention quickly.

What stood out from the overview was the advice that:

 Firms and corporations needing to claim inaccessibility should be prepared to prove that the data at issue is truly inaccessible, before making such a claim.

The Gibson Report points out that the courts have little tolerance for a failure to search ESI.

As in the past, courts continued to have little patience for claims of inaccessibility when a party simply failed to search relevant ESI. See Star Direct Telecom, Inc. v. Global Crossing Bandwidth, Inc., 272 F.R.D. 350, 358-59 (W.D.N.Y. 2011) (Payson, Mag. J.) (holding that ESI was not inaccessible “simply” because the producing party “elected not to search for archived [ESI],” particularly in light of failure to inform movant of that decision); IOWI, 2011 WL 2038714, at *4 (holding that producing party could not use inaccessibility as a defense for failing to search for ESI “more thoroughly than they apparently did” when they should have “explain[ed] why such a search would be too burdensome, costly or difficult” at the outset).

Thus Answer Maven is confident that Data Maps, good governance and appropriate information management practices and guidelines will serve companies well.  In today’s business environment there are few companies that do not create information electronically and the proof is in the pudding when it comes to proving good due diligence in production.

Constance Ard November 9, 2011

 

 

Leave a Comment » | Business, E-Discovery, Information Management | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

Complicating Factors of Standards: It’s Not As Simple as It Looks

November 3, 2011

In a recent Law Technology News article there was a good discussion that captured my attention. E-Discovery Technical Standard at Crossroads lays outs some interesting arguments about why the call for standardization in eDiscovery is a bit like putting the cart before the horse.

Let’s begin with a definition of the standards that are being called for. EDRM-XML was called for by the EDRM organization to standardize the sharing of data especially as related to load data.  The ideal is that building on open source code provides greater accessibility.  In an ideal world everyone would take this to heart and embrace this model and as the industry grew everyone would be on the same page.

Now I’m not a Pollyanna but I have my doubts as to whether or not even she would buy into that ideal.  The adoption rates and availability of the EDRM-XML from eDiscovery technology companies is low.  EDRM continues to work on it but as the article points out a 2010 upgrade has been delayed until at least 2012.  That seems to point to development issues – a not uncommon problem when it comes to some open source solutions.

There may be a bright spot in this call for standardization if you buy into the theory presented by Dera Nevin:

She added that EDRM as an organization needs to do better at externally communicating the advantages of electronic document exchange — “There’s wars to be fought on a whole bunch of fronts. It’s one thing to say, you’ve been working on this for 3.5 years, give up, but it’s way too soon to give up because we’re still fighting the fight of getting people to use electronic exchange of documents in the first place.”

Open source and eDiscovery, two very hot tech trends combined with a push for standardization seems to make sense. But then again when does technology and sense really stand up to the test of implementation and usability.

Constance Ard November 2, 2011

1 Comment | Business, E-Discovery, Information Management, Open Source | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

The Cost of Technology Remains Same: Cloud or Network

November 1, 2011

In a new white paper Andrew Adkins provides a nice guide for law firms, especially small to medium-sized ones, to help them weave their way through the myths of cloud computing.  Law Firm Management in the Cloud: Leveling the Playing Field for Law Firms provides a nice overview of just what cloud computing is as compared to traditional IT networks in the world of law firm management.

The paper easily distills the arguments about security and confidentiality and operations.  I appreciate the fact that the statements about costs did not conclude that cloud computing was ultimately cheaper.

As the paper points out the average technology spend is between “3.5 and 6 percent of revenue.”  It is good to note that entry cost for the cloud is easier but over terms of service the costs are pretty even no matter the adopted IT Model:

But most analysts agree the reality is that the entry point is accessible for solo practitioners and small to mid-size law firms. Subscribing to a cloud-based application eliminates the need for a large initial cash outlay for servers, software licenses, and consultant fees. However, after several years, the overall costs between a traditional client-server system and a cloud-based system are about the same.

If you are a solo or small firm practitioner seeking a solid view of the advantages of cloud computing then this paper can answer some questions. When seeking a comprehensive technology and information management solution for your firm there is are more details to consider than this guide offers but it’s a great starting point.

Constance Ard October 31, 2011

Leave a Comment » | Business, Enterprise Technology, Information Management | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

Slow and Steady: The Smart Approach to Legal KM

October 27, 2011

The House of Butter alerted me an interesting tidbit in “WK Buys Online Legal KM Outfit “Legal Intelligence”.  It was a little unclear from HOB’s writeup exactly which unit had made the acquisition so I went to the direct source of the PR release and filled in the blanks just a bit more.

Kluwer Netherlands, a unit of the global information service provider Wolters Kluwer, has taken over Legal Intelligence.

In my experience Wolters Kluwer has been careful with their acquisitions and methodical about the changes to service in acquired properties.  This new venture takes WK into a the arena with the vendors in a space that seems to have lacking some significant investment in one particular area: basic customer service.

Chances are that customers seeking a reliable system will benefit from WK’s investment.  Some infusion of cash to push innovation and a pretty solid customer service reputation bodes well.

Constance Ard October 26, 2011

 

Leave a Comment » | Business, Knowledge Management, legal research, Search | Permalink
Posted by Answer Maven

« Previous Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 246 other followers