Adoption of the IGRM model could mean "improving dialogue about information governance, increasing the buy in from stakeholders, and expanding the awareness of the importance of information governance in the modern enterprise."
With demand for technology innovation and efficiency at an all-time high, we can look to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to help streamline and automate proposal and RFP management, and bridge the gap between increases in RFP requests and lower win rates.
The failure of NYPA to pass is not exceptionally noteworthy. What is noteworthy, however, is that it marks an escalation of data privacy protections and restrictions not seen in other major regulatory regimes, whether in the United States or abroad. And since most believe its failure to pass was due more to the end-of-session rush than its contents, don't be surprised if it pops up again in January 2022.
With business conversations extending across video, audio, transcripts and chat, it will not be long before we see Zoom data appearing as evidence in court. Legal teams and CIOs need to think about how to preserve Zoom data proactively for litigation case assessments, discovery, and holds, as well as investigations and regulatory actions.
It is difficult to think of a comparable cyber event to the one that effectively shut down the fuel pipeline that feeds over a third of the United States. We are in the midst of a national cyber crisis, and while we may have a blueprint for the resolution of these other crises, things must urgently change on the cybersecurity front.
In the past four months of 2021, the amount of state legislative activity around consumer data privacy laws has been frantic, by state legislatures standards. So much so, it is not easy to discern the cause for all this effort.
In response to widespread changes in the use of technology, and evaluating the potential risks of remote work and the rise of virtual meeting platforms, on March 10, 2021, the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issued Formal Opinion 498 making it clear that the Model Rules of Professional Conduct permit lawyers to conduct their practices virtually, but urges caution at all times:
In 2020, law firms did what they had to do to continue serving their clients. Information governance may have been sacrificed in the face of an urgent, global crisis. As understandable as that is, it's time now to step back and assess best practices for the new operational model that is here to stay.
Companies are collecting and managing more data than ever, essentially in order to create value, thus in effect making every company a "data" company. But for data to provide value, organizations need to know where it is, who has access to it, how it's managed, including its longevity value, and how it needs to be secured and protected.
With regulatory and investigations activity expected to pick up significantly in the coming year, it's more important than ever to tighten up remote investigations methods to meet best practices. Aside from enabling continuity during COVID-19 restrictions, remote workflows offer a number of benefits in investigations.
