Kahn Consulting is a Records and Information Governance Firm
Record Retention Schedules, Information Governance Policies, Assessments, Implementation, and Compliance
Kahn specializes in records and information management challenges that range from employees working from home to the use of advanced technologies such as IoT devices, artificial intelligence, Machine Learning, data lakes, and data warehouses that generate a new type of data for most organizations.
Today's challenges require new thinking and a new approach to information-related strategies, policy directives, retention schedules, auto-purge routines, and daily practices. Kahn advises companies on how to find reasonable solutions that mitigate risk and manage cost in today's computing environment, where information flows at the speed of light and is parked in the cloud. Solving complex information challenges requires attacking the problem from a multiplicity of perspectives. Kahn's consulting team reflects this reality by including business, technology, information professionals, and legal, compliance, and privacy professionals.
Information Governance Assessment
Kahn offers an Information Governance Assessment that will identify and mitigate risks associated with the management of information. The assessment will review organizational capabilities such as information-related policies, third-party contracts, retention schedules, and training programs. It will assess IT system capabilities related to structured data, unstructured data, AI/ML, third-party storage, and e-communications. Download the brochure to learn more about what we assess.
Records Retention Schedules are a Key Component to
Complying with Privacy Laws
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All information in an organization needs to have a predictable end of life. Every organization should have a Records Retention Schedule that is compliant with laws and regulations dictating how long a record must be retained and reflects the business value of the record. Even if the information doesn’t rise to the level of record, it should also have a policy on when it must be disposed of. Given the new privacy laws around the world, it is essential that organizations keep retention and disposal rules current with laws, regulations, and business needs. On a regular basis, organizations need to conduct business profiles to identify new lines of business, a new technology that is creating new information, use of biometrics, secondary use of information in AI or BI projects, new revenue streams related to selling data, new jurisdictions they have entered, etc. Business activities change often in today fast moving world, and companies need to keep policies aligned proactively.
Kahn has decades of experience in developing simplified, big-bucket record retention schedules and information governance policies. Give us a call if you want to talk about updating your record retention schedule or policies.
Let Machine Learning/AI Technology Assist with Compliance
Kahn has worked with Machine Learning, AI, and autoclassification technology for over a decade to help organizations with unstructured data, including legacy data cleanup projects, records management activities, disposition of information, identification of Personal Identifiable Information (PII), migrations to new environments, and with eDiscovery tasks. These technologies will remove the burden from employees and the IT organization by automating policy directives.
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Often, organizations get derailed in the implementation phase of these technologies because the initial work to train the technology can be overwhelming. Kahn's years of expertise can help an organization move quickly through the implementation phase by developing reasonable and defensible automated processes. If you want to try a pilot in your organization, please reach out to us, and we can show you the value this type of technology can provide to your organization.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IS DIFFERENT FROM RECORDS MANAGEMENT
What Information Should be Retained and for How Long?
Typically, organizations have policies and retention schedules that address what records to retain and for how long. At Kahn, we help organizations address the other large volume of information that will never rise to the level of record and non-traditional data that is generated with today's technologies. All information needs to be managed and needs to have a defined lifecycle.
64 ZB of data was created in 2020, but less than 2% of this data was saved or retained into 2021.
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It is predicted that the amount of digital data created over the next five years will be greater than twice the amount of data created since the advent of digital storage (IDC).
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New Challenges Companies are Facing
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MACHINE LEARNING, DEEP LEARNING, IOT, AIoT, TECHNOLOGY-GENERATED DATA
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There are numerous predictions about the growth and impact of AI, Machine Learning (teaching a tool by using known parameters) and Deep Learning (neural networks that behave like a human brain), and it appears that these technologies will continue to be transformative. The corporate pressure to use AI makes it almost impossible to avoid if your corporation wants to stay competitive. What this means in practical terms is that many businesses are committing to using these powerful tools to transform all kinds of business processes. But as AI changes the way businesses function, there is still a need for regulatory compliance and the need to have evidence of business activities and operations.
But AI can’t be just about “running faster,” as the implementation of AI tools creates unique information issues (i.e., ownership, bias, privacy, retention, etc.). These issues need to be addressed, or they may become costly to your organization.
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OFFICE 365 & GOOGLE WORKSPACE GOVERNANCE
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Microsoft TEAMS, Chats, Recordings, SharePoint, Yammer, Email / Exchange
Google Workspace, Mail, Chats, Vault, Voice, Sites
For most organizations, managing unstructured or semi-structured electronic data is challenging and time-consuming. MS365 and Google provide organizations with features and functionality to better manage their information from a security, privacy, litigation discovery, access, and records retention standpoint, among other things. Getting it set up right will be hugely valuable during normal business times, as well as when litigation strikes. Also, getting policies and rules established upfront will help make the migration process more manageable and valuable. Kahn’s Office 365 and Google Workspace Advisory Services will assist your organization in bridging the gap between technology capabilities and business, governance, and compliance needs and requirements.
RECORD RETENTION SCHEDULES CAN REDUCE PRIVACY RISK, STORAGE FOOTPRINT AND COST
Today, not one size fits all when it comes to Record Retention Schedules. At Kahn, we offer several different types of Record Retention Schedules ranging from "off-the-shelf" that requires limited involvement from the organization to Record Retention Schedules will include inventory level record detail such as storage location, media type, privacy, & security classification. Schedules information for the organization on what Records to retain and for how long, but the real value comes from knowing what information is not a record and allows the organization to apply non-record retention rules. We strive to provide the right schedule based on business needs and goals.
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KAHN'S MOST RECENT BOOK, PUBLISHED BY
THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION (ABA)
The Executive's Guide to Navigating the Information Universe Book
Information Governance Assessment
We offer a complimentary mini-assessment of our Resources Page, or contact us to learn more about our services to conduct a full assessment for your program.
Companies that create and nurture an information culture can better predict their customers' needs, exploit markets, and conjure up new business possibilities. Similarly, companies that have their information act together are better able to protect their legal interest, comply with myriad privacy regulations, and mitigate the pain and inconvenience of discovery in the context of a lawsuit. What matters now is that information - which, for most companies, is the lifeblood that pulses through their corporate veins - allows an organization to exploit business opportunities while being mindful to mitigate risk. ​​To help guide you through the information universe, this easy-to-use primer, written by industry leaders, is a comprehensive guide arranged as twenty distinct Rules that provide an overarching understanding of "everything information" impacting your company, whether or not you know it. Each Rule includes an Executive Takeaway, Background Information, and Business and Legal Implications. Each Rule is self-contained, and you can refer to one Rule as a primer for a select topic or read the book from cover to cover to get the information you need.
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FACTS & FIGURES
Only 18%
of an Average Organization
Have robust information governance and records management policies.
30%
of a knowledge worker's time spent
on the search for information
According to IDC,
the knowledge worker spends about 2.5 hours per day, or roughly 30% of the workday, searching for information. Much of the time, workers still can't find the information needed to do their best work quickly.
23%
Global Data Growth
Global data creation and replication will grow 23% between 2020 and 2025.
CONTACT US
We welcome anyone to schedule a virtual lunch with one of our experts to discuss any information governance-related topic. This will be an informal discussion to hear our thinking about a topic of interest to you.