Briefing: Information Management Best Practices: Fortunes Up For Information Management

Based on responses from 314 corporate and government information managers, this data-rich Briefing covers reporting relationships, organization, and staffing; users and services; strategic management and marketing practices; budgets; and partnership and new technologies. It identifies the trends and drivers that will shape IM practices in the coming months: growth in enterprise-wide responsibility, a slow move into content integration by most IM functions, increasing budgets at a time of lower market reach, user discontent with information environments, and an increase in shifting roles and cross-departmental activities. A critical indicator is that budgets are up and IM functions are increasingly moving into shared service organizations, but organizations are demanding increased accountability in return. The Briefing draws on Outsell's data about knowledge workers to show that, despite attempts to focus on the most critical user groups, users' needs are still not being met. The Briefing shows a slow adoption of some new technologies and workflow integration applications. Increasing budgets combined with continuing unmet user needs mean IM functions face a number of critical imperatives for the coming months. This Briefing is essential reading for information managers who want to develop cutting-edge organizations in today's environment.