On the Sunny Side of the Street

In the January 19, 2010 issue of Infonomics Weekly, Editory Bryant Duhon asks: "Are We Too Negative?Avoid litigation. Stay out of jail. Avoid costs. OK, these are good goals, but do we focus too much on the negative benefits that the tools in the ECM industry provide at the expense of pointing out how valuable and effective those tools can be at providing real ROI and positive value?"

To which I responded:

"Sure there is plenty of negativity out there…there always is. But the glass is half-full, too. That's why my blog is called 'Positively RIM'. On the plus side, we can say that Records/Content Management allows the defendants to prove their innocence in a court of law. It allows law-abiders to prove their compliance with regulations. It contributes to a greener planet.

"Beyond that, however, records management is an underpinning of our whole society. It delivers laws and case laws. It verifies honest elections. It enables customer service. And it preserves our history. Each year, more than a million Americans file their first claims for Social Security benefits and, behold, their work records from 40 year before are there to verify their labors and just desserts. That's just one of many positive examples.

"So there are plenty of positives to see. Sometimes it means looking at the bottom half of the proverbial glass. And sometimes it means taking a step back to appreciate what we (especially in America) often take for granted."