As the name suggests, information management involves handling information from collection to distribution. Since the information comes from various sources, managing it is equally important and part of the management system. Information storage is also part of the cycle. The information can be in many forms, among them videos, audio, data, electronic documents, and paper documents, just but to mention a few. Regardless of its format, information needs capturing, management, preservation, storage, and delivery,summarizing everything about information management. Why is it important? There is only one way to find out. Keep reading to find out the importance of information management.
- Easy and Timely Access
Information management makes it easy for someone to retrieve it if in need of it. Given how volumes of information keep increasing each passing day, it goes without saying that managing it is crucial. Otherwise, you may end up spending a lot of time trying to access information if management is overlooked. Keep in mind that time is of the essence when it comes to information. Therefore, when one cant access it on time, it may be useless the next minute. Therefore, since information management means accessing it efficiently and on time, then it is worth adopting.
- Information Security
If information was to fall into the wrong hands, that could become a massive problem for any organization. Some will misuse the information, share it widely, or even extorting the organization. Fortunately, that’s avoidable through the implementation of information management. It ensures that only authorized personnel can access the information. It is also helpful in some cases, such as mergers and acquisitions, since controlling the information being shared with the involved parties is equally important.
Information management also introduces a level of access to see to it that every staff member accesses only the information within their work scope. For example, a director will access less data than the manager, depending on the ranks. On the other hand, a worker in the marketing data will not access financial data unless necessary.
- Compliance
There are rules and regulations laid out by federal organizations that organizations must comply with. One crucial thing when it comes to compliance is information. Its management ensures that the organization doesn’t overlook any compliance requirement. Given the dire consequences of being uncompliant, the importance of information management is indisputable. It leads to financial implications, legal issues, and losses or penalties.
- Real-time Information
Using outdated data can be misleading. That’s why there is a need to keep updating it and in real-time, for that matter. Information management facilitates that to ensure that users use accurate information at all times. Since it is often used in making decisions, the wrong information can lead to bad choices, which is a recipe for disaster. That’s something no organization can afford since the consequences can also be harsh. It could mean losses in terms of revenue and even customers.
Conclusion
As an organization, overlooking information management is unwise. That’s why it is vital to prioritize it at all times. Doing that has its advantages, whereas not giving it the seriousness it deserves also has its advantages. It would be unfortunate to reap the disadvantages instead of enjoying the benefits, no doubt.