Information management: 5 big questions answered

There are many reasons for the dramatic proliferation of data, and this, alongside changing consumer behaviour, is having a a profound effect on the role of the Chief Information Officer.

Canon recently held an 'Information at Work' event that looked at how data was impacting the workplace, so we caught up with the company's Director of Information Security, Quentyn Taylor, to find out what messages are coming out of the information segment at present.

Here are his responses to our five key questions.

TechRadar Pro: What is causing the massive influx of data within organisations and what impact is it having?

Quentyn Taylor: There are many reasons for the data explosion both within organisations and outside of them. The most obvious one is technology. As the capabilities of digital devices continue to rise and prices continue to fall, sensors, mobile phones and other gadgets are digitising lots of information that was previously unavailable. And many more people have access to far more powerful tools.

There are currently nearly 7 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, nearly 3 billion people use the internet and 70 per cent of them use it every day.

BYOD, which adds layers of complexity, is also a contributing factor. Our Office Insights study of 1,671 employees revealed that one in three businesses are now enabling employees to connect to servers using their personal devices.

This means that there's an incredible scope of information being created and shared, from a rising number of devices - and subsequently, an increase in data that must be controlled and managed adequately. No mean feat, as according to analyst firm Gartner, worldwide data growth is set to reach eight zettabytes by 2015

Security is a key consideration. Business leaders have spoken openly around the pressing issue of data security and governance, two main components that at present are subject to close scrutiny, and which are expected to be a key focus for organisations in the future. It's vital that businesses start to see data as an enabler to the business and begin to effectively manage and safeguard the information they hold.

TRP: How can organisations turn this data into meaningful information?

QT: Turning data into useful information is a process that requires knowledge. This is commonly referred to as 'Business Intelligence' as it provides business insights to every part of the organisation. Generating value from data is a matter of connecting the information to insights in a fast, safe and repeatable way.

Start by deciding what the business goals are or what questions the business needs to answer. Continue by analysing small data sets and always start with the best data available, in order to draw a number of verifiable conclusions straight away. No matter how much data an organisation has, it is important to keep information easily manageable.

Remember that it can always be enriched later, with increasing layers. Finally, when applying analytics, it's important to try to make decisions regarding the data as quickly as possible, to avoid paralysis and getting mired in figures and facts.

At our 'Information at Work' event we delved deeper into the role of information management, and the changing role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) was a sentiment that was echoed throughout the day.

As part of their role, Chief Information Officers will need to act as a beacon of knowledge for everything information based, and work to push the business to embrace data as much as possible. They need to become the individual that takes the lead and innovates, finding new ways to control the modern data influx and identify how it can be used to competitive advantage.

They need to become visionaries; the ones that enable change as and when it is necessary, and think of the doors that IT departments can open if they think outside the box. The CIO will no longer be the head of technology, but the information innovator.

TRP: What role does information management have to play in an organisation's operational efficiency and how does it drive growth?

QT: Without a robust information management strategy, an organisation cannot hope to run efficiently. From employees wasting time trying to locate historical documents, to valuable insights about customers being lost, mislaid or not connected, poor information management can be a hindrance to growth, and end up costing a business millions in lost opportunity.

As the quantities of data increase, so too does the task of managing it. These challenges must be addressed, as every step in the information management process is important - from capturing, to sharing and storing.

With the right information management process in place, businesses can thrive. For example, many organisations still rely on outdated and paper-heavy methods of communication so moving document processing online is a classic example of how information management can drive growth.

By streamlining the use of paper, office spaces can be made smaller and more efficient, with less need for bigger spaces and rise in running costs that this brings. Staff time can be freed up to focus on business growth, rather than endless information processing.

Recent statistics even show that around 45,000 businesses in the UK are still using dial-up connections. Faster broadband for better information management means quicker correspondence with customers and clients and improved response times to ensure the business remains agile and focused on customer satisfaction.

There's no end to the potential that well-managed information could pose for a business.

TRP: What role does the IT department play in this process and how should the CIO be involved?

QT: The info-centric organisation is here to stay. With the management of data rapidly becoming the most significant factor in shaping business growth, the role of the IT department has to step up to meet the challenges of information processing head-on. This is where IT leaders come in.

The role of the CIO - a role that was at one time isolated to a key set of skills and tasks - is predicted to develop so much so that it will combine the skills of statistician, software programme and storyteller in order to extract the golden nuggets of information hidden under mountains of data. The CIO of the future is predicted to be involved in customer experience, communications and information management as part of this evolving role.

Analyst firm IDC has predicted that unstructured data will account for 90 per cent of all data created in the next decade, which means there should be a sense of urgency in the c-suite in particular. The task may be daunting, but the time is now, and the level of intangible data is only going to increase – CIOs must take control, leaving behind the mantle of IT before they're bewildered by an unmanageable and unrestrained amount of information.

TRP: How can leaders effectively communicate information within their business?

QT: The effect of the information surfeit is being felt everywhere and the sheer amount can be difficult to handle. However, businesses should never be lazy with it. It is up to leaders across all functions to make its significance clear and to communicate it properly.

Information is an important asset for any organisation and should always be presented and communicated in a way that decision makers can understand it, engage with it and take action on it.

Data visualisation should tell a clear story in context with information that is relevant. It's also worth considering investing in information management capabilities to help make sense of proliferating data and drive business growth. And perhaps most obviously, the C-Suite must work and confer closely together.

An abundance of information does not always lead to abundance of communication and today, with big data merging the responsibilities of the IT, marketing and finance functions, communication from top to bottom, is the key.

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