The panel, moderated Monica Bay of ALM, included Tim Hart of McKesson Corporation and Brian Renker from Dell. The backdrop of the discussion was the fact that records management and e-discovery strategies are largely driving technology decisions in both law firms and corporations. Of course regulations and compliance are important factors, along with the continual increase in the amount of data both created and retained as the cost to store data continues to decrease. Creating, implementing, and maintaining solid records retention policies is becoming a more and more important function to effectively manage all of this data. The panel discussed the newest IT mantra – ‘alignment with the business’ – and the critical recognition that while technology can be a great thing, without quality people and processes to effectively manage it, technology can also be a terrible waste of money. “Technology is only as good as the people running it”. The panel also discussed what they called “disruptive technologies” including mobile devices and social media, and the importance of corporations not only allowing but embracing the use of these collaborative tools to enhance productivity.
