I've seen a number of articles pop up on Twitter today noting that there is, at least on the surface, some tension between GDPR and particularly the "right to be forgotten" and blockchain, which is based on immutability and decentralization. Here are some examples; Googling "blockchain GDPR" will find you a ton more.
Legaltech News: Why Blockchain Poses an Unusual Challenge for GDPR Compliance
The Ledger: The Blockchain-GDPR Paradox
Computerworld: Will blockchain run afoul of GDPR? (Yes and no)
IAPP: Blockchain technology is on a collision course with EU privacy law
It's a truism that the law cannot keep up with technology, but it will be fascinating to see how this plays out. Aside: The cynic in me is waiting for the first press release announcing a blockchain-based GDPR-compliant something-or-other solution that stores personal data in the blockchain.
May 25, 2018
May 24, 2018
Rhys Dipshan, Legaltech News: Will the GDPR Apply to U.S. Government Agencies?
H/T: Stacy O. Jackson
H/T: Stacy O. Jackson
Stacey Garrett, Keesal, Young & Logan, in ALM's Cybersecurity Law & Strategy newsletter: Are U.S. Records Retention Requirements on a Collision Course with the GDPR’s ‘Right to Erasure?’
H/T: Stacy O. Jackson
H/T: Stacy O. Jackson
May 17, 2018
May 7, 2018
April 30, 2018
April 19, 2018
Misconceptions about the CIP
Recently I've had a number of people ask a variety of questions about how one goes about getting the CIP. I thought I'd answer those questions here in the interest of clearing up any uncertainty.
The CIP is a formal certification. There are many, many differences between a certificate program, such as AIIM's training programs, and a formal certification. This is a much longer discussion beyond the scope of this post, but there is one that directly applies.
Many certificate programs that offer an assessment make it available in a non-proctored, and frequently online, format. Certification program assessments are proctored as a rule, and while there are a number of ways to conduct the assessment, there is nevertheless a more formalized structure to them.
The only way to get the CIP is to pass the formal certification exam. There are two ways we deliver the exam. First, candidates can schedule an exam at any Kryterion test center around the world. On the appointed date/time, the candidate appears, is placed into an exam station, and takes the exam, by him or herself, and with no additional references or study aids.
Second, AIIM can offer the CIP exam in an onsite proctored model. A group of people takes the exam in the same room, often at the end of an onsite CIP Prep Workshop, and we also do this at the annual AIIM conference. A human proctor is in the room the entire time to make sure individual candidates complete only their own exam and do not attempt to assist or influence any other candidates' exams.
But that's it. Those are the only two ways to earn the CIP certification and designation. The only exception to this in the history of the CIP program was that we made the decision when CIP was launched to grandfather in about 40 subject matter experts that wrote the initial exam. This is not uncommon - why would you test people on the exam you just trusted them to write? But this only happened for the first CIP exam; when we updated it in 2016, we used only CIPs who had passed the original exam to conduct the update. When we update it again in 2019 we will use the same process.
Common questions/misconceptions about CIP
So here are some of the most common questions I've gotten, and my responses to them.
Now, here's the Reader's Digest version: The only way to get the CIP is to take a proctored exam. Anyone who has told you otherwise is flat-out wrong - at best.
I welcome any additional questions, thoughts, concerns, or assertions to the contrary at jwilkins@aiim.org.
The CIP is a formal certification. There are many, many differences between a certificate program, such as AIIM's training programs, and a formal certification. This is a much longer discussion beyond the scope of this post, but there is one that directly applies.
Many certificate programs that offer an assessment make it available in a non-proctored, and frequently online, format. Certification program assessments are proctored as a rule, and while there are a number of ways to conduct the assessment, there is nevertheless a more formalized structure to them.
The only way to get the CIP is to pass the formal certification exam. There are two ways we deliver the exam. First, candidates can schedule an exam at any Kryterion test center around the world. On the appointed date/time, the candidate appears, is placed into an exam station, and takes the exam, by him or herself, and with no additional references or study aids.
Second, AIIM can offer the CIP exam in an onsite proctored model. A group of people takes the exam in the same room, often at the end of an onsite CIP Prep Workshop, and we also do this at the annual AIIM conference. A human proctor is in the room the entire time to make sure individual candidates complete only their own exam and do not attempt to assist or influence any other candidates' exams.
But that's it. Those are the only two ways to earn the CIP certification and designation. The only exception to this in the history of the CIP program was that we made the decision when CIP was launched to grandfather in about 40 subject matter experts that wrote the initial exam. This is not uncommon - why would you test people on the exam you just trusted them to write? But this only happened for the first CIP exam; when we updated it in 2016, we used only CIPs who had passed the original exam to conduct the update. When we update it again in 2019 we will use the same process.
Common questions/misconceptions about CIP
So here are some of the most common questions I've gotten, and my responses to them.
- AIIM can just "give" people the CIP. Categorically not true. A very, very small number of AIIM staff have access to the CIP exam platform and it has a very detailed audit trail, with every candidate's attempts and even every question and response for every candidate. We can't fake it - and wouldn't if we could. Even the AIIM staff that have earned the CIP did it in one of those two ways - by going to a Kryterion test center, or by sitting through an onsite proctored exam. Same thing with those on the AIIM Board of Directors that have earned the CIP.
- Getting the ERM Master can get you the CIP. There was some confusion around the end of 2015, when there was some concern about the future of CIP. AIIM posted that the CIP had been retired and that all CIPs would be converted to ERM Masters or another AIIM certificate designation of their choice. That decision was rescinded and CIP was updated in 2016, but the misconception still remains - but this is the exact opposite of the misconception.
- Being a CRM or passing Part 5 can get you the CIP. Similarly, AIIM and the ICRM have a partnership wherein CRM candidates that complete the ERM Master Class can submit that in lieu of their Part 5 exam. So there may be some confusion that ERMM leads to, or grants, CIP - it doesn't, it just counts as 1 of the 6 exams required to receive the CRM. At some future date there might be some reciprocity between CIP and the CRA/CRM, but not at present.
- You have to be an AIIM member to get, or maintain, the CIP. Nope - lots of people have earned the CIP who barely know who AIIM is, but thought that the CIP would provide value (they're right!). And there are a ton of benefits to AIIM membership - I think highly enough of them that I maintain my paid membership despite having been on AIIM's staff for over 7 years. But there is no connection between the two other than discounts on the workshop, the exam, and renewal fees.
- You have to take the AIIM CIP Prep Course to get the CIP - or - Taking the CIP Prep Course will give you the CIP. Nope and nope. While we offer the CIP prep course, and we'd love to have you take it as part of your preparation, it is absolutely not required. If you do take the course, you need to know that, while it covers everything on the exam, we don't teach to the exam. Rather, we teach the concepts that the exam covers. You also need to know that there's no guarantee that taking the course will ensure you pass the exam. While our results are pretty good historically, ultimately the course is the course and the exam is the exam.
- You can take the CIP online. While the Kryterion test platform, Webassessor, is technically delivered through the Web, this is not an online exam in the way that certificate programs often are. You can only access the exam by having it launched by a proctor, either at a Kryterion test center or at an AIIM-delivered onsite proctored exam.
- The CIP doesn't expire. False - you have to maintain the CIP every three years, either by completing continuing education or by retesting. Once that date passes, your CIP is lapsed and you should not use or claim it anymore unless you reinstate.
Now, here's the Reader's Digest version: The only way to get the CIP is to take a proctored exam. Anyone who has told you otherwise is flat-out wrong - at best.
I welcome any additional questions, thoughts, concerns, or assertions to the contrary at jwilkins@aiim.org.
April 17, 2018
CIP Today Newsletter - March 2018
We're less than three weeks away from The AIIM Conference 2018 in San Antonio, TX and I'm really excited about the agenda this year. We're putting extra focus on the CIP program and all of you as individual CIPs during the event. Here are just some of the highlights:
With the event just around the corner, you need to act soon if you're going to join us in San Antonio. We'd love to have you. Visit http://www.aiimconference.com for more details.
I hope that you will find this newsletter valuable, and I welcome your thoughts, comments, and submissions at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Sincerely,
Jesse Wilkins, CIP
Director, Professional Development
AIIM
We're Looking For A Few Good...Stories!
One of the things that helps to build the value of CIP is to share stories and case studies. I'm looking for a few good examples of what the CIP has meant to you and your organization. For example, one CIP recently shared with us that "Our technology world is rapidly changing, and companies are requiring that our skills span multiple dimensions. To compliment my technical skill set, the AIIM Certified Information Professional was my certification of choice. Due to its high recognition in the EIM world, it helped me launch my career. I'm proud to say I have accepted a great opportunity with a great company." That's pretty powerful.
So how has CIP helped you - have you gotten a promotion, a raise, or a new job or new responsibilities? If you're a solution provider or consultant, has it helped you develop new business? We'd like to share your name and company if at all possible; if your company isn't willing to do so, we can refer to it generally, e.g. "A large North American bank". But the more of these stories, and interviews, and case studies we can get, the greater the impact on the CIP program as a whole. Please reach out to me at jwilkins@aiim.org if you are interested.
Announcements
CIP Reinstatement:
As with other formal certifications, in order to maintain your CIP status, you must either retest every three years or complete 45 hours of continuing education credits. But sometimes stuff comes up, or you forget the renewal date, and you end up letting your status lapse. Until now the only way to reinstate your CIP status was to retake the exam.
After a lot of research and discussion, both internally and with a few current (and former!) CIPs, we've developed a reinstatement process that we think is fair, that underscores the value of the CIP, and that stresses the importance of maintaining the CIP over time. I wrote about it at length, but here are the highlights:
If you're not sure whether your status is still current or not, we maintain the updated list of active CIPs at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/CIPs-List. If your name is not on the list, your status has lapsed. If you think your name was removed from the list in error, please contact me directly at jwilkins@aiim.org and I'll investigate.
New Modern Records Management Master Class:
In February, we completed the development and launch of the Modern Records Management Master Class. This is complementary to, and includes, the MRM Specialist content we announced in the previous newsletter.
The course differs substantially from the ERM course in three main areas. First, we've removed a lot of the "RM 101"-type content. That content will be made available at some point, probably as a quick study course. Second, we've added a ton of in-depth content on digital recordkeeping including specific processes for how to conduct a systems and information inventory and how to conduct a file share cleanup. And most importantly, every module includes some focus on records management as a business enabler, with content that will help records managers get a seat at the table by showing how effective records management supports the goals of the organization.
The MRM Master Class is worth 26.0 CIP CEUs; for students who have already taken the MRM Specialist, you can elect to take just the Master content at a discount and earn 13.0 CEUs.
More information about this course is available at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/Deep-Dives/Deep-Dive-MRM.
You can find more information about all of our courses, all of which are approved for CEUs, at http://www.aiim.org/training.
The AIIM Community:
If you haven't been to the AIIM Community recently, you don't know what you're missing! Every day brings new questions and discussions that could be directly relevant to what you're doing. The Community includes an Open Forum, groups for individual chapters, and five specialist interest groups:
Anyone can read the posts, but you have to be a member to post something yourself. This is just one of the great benefits of being an AIIM member. The Community is available at http://community.aiim.org.
From the CIP:
Five Things that Well Written IM/IT Policies Avoid
by Lewis Eisen, CIP
Well-written administrative policies are clear, concise, and respectful to the people they govern. IM/IT policies are no exception.
The written policies of many organizations fall far short of that goal, however. They are overly long, ambiguous or confusing, and written as if angry parents were talking to bad children. It should come as no surprise in those cases that the organization spends an inordinate amount of time dealing with compliance problems.
There are five things that well written IM/IT policies avoid. [Continue reading.]
Why Do We Need Standards?
by Betsy Fanning, CIP
Standards reduce risks the organization may have when implementing technologies because they are developed by subject experts who collaborate to document the best way to implement or utilize a technology or improve a process. When you use a standard, you can be certain it has been tested which will provide a high level of reliability in its use. [Continue reading.]
CIP, the Lingua Franca of ECM
by Marko Silanpaa, CIP
To me, one the biggest value of the Certified Information Professional program is as common language for Enterprise Content Management. The lack of this common vocabulary easily costs tens of thousands of dollars to vendors and can add months to the vendor selection cycle for end users. [Continue reading.]
Share Your Story
As a CIP, I want to know what you're doing and how you're doing it. If you have a story to share, an article you think would be of interest to other CIPs, or even just want to tell your CIP story, send me a note at jwilkins@aiim.org. I can help you write it if needed, and we'll make sure it gets in the next newsletter.
Upcoming CEU Opportunities
Just a reminder that all CIPs have to complete 45 hours of continuing education every three years in order to remain certified. Here are some upcoming AIIM events you might wish to consider:
And non-AIIM events are OK too, as long as they are educational in nature and address at least one topic on the CIP. Vendor demos/presentations/sessions as well. Questions? Ping me at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Key POCs
You have questions? We have answers. Here's where to get AIIM-related information:
For questions about your CIP status, CEU status, or general questions about CIP - Me! jwilkins@aiim.org
For questions about AIIM training - Maureen Hearn, mhearn@aiim.org
To register for AIIM training:
US/areas outside of Europe: Michelle Clark, mturner@aiim.org
Europe: Angela Hymas, ahymas@aiim.org
For questions about Professional membership – Jessica Lombardo, jlombardo@aiim.org
- 12.5 CIP CEUs for conference, and 6.5 more if you attend a precon workshop
- The CIP precon on April 10
- The CIP exam on April 11
- The exclusive CIP-only luncheon on April 11, right after the exam. This is also where you will get your exclusive CIP T-shirt!
- The annual CIP photo
- Lots of great speakers, many of whom are CIPs as well
- And lots of opportunities to network with your fellow CIPs and the other attendees.
With the event just around the corner, you need to act soon if you're going to join us in San Antonio. We'd love to have you. Visit http://www.aiimconference.com for more details.
I hope that you will find this newsletter valuable, and I welcome your thoughts, comments, and submissions at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Sincerely,
Jesse Wilkins, CIP
Director, Professional Development
AIIM
We're Looking For A Few Good...Stories!
One of the things that helps to build the value of CIP is to share stories and case studies. I'm looking for a few good examples of what the CIP has meant to you and your organization. For example, one CIP recently shared with us that "Our technology world is rapidly changing, and companies are requiring that our skills span multiple dimensions. To compliment my technical skill set, the AIIM Certified Information Professional was my certification of choice. Due to its high recognition in the EIM world, it helped me launch my career. I'm proud to say I have accepted a great opportunity with a great company." That's pretty powerful.
So how has CIP helped you - have you gotten a promotion, a raise, or a new job or new responsibilities? If you're a solution provider or consultant, has it helped you develop new business? We'd like to share your name and company if at all possible; if your company isn't willing to do so, we can refer to it generally, e.g. "A large North American bank". But the more of these stories, and interviews, and case studies we can get, the greater the impact on the CIP program as a whole. Please reach out to me at jwilkins@aiim.org if you are interested.
Announcements
CIP Reinstatement:
As with other formal certifications, in order to maintain your CIP status, you must either retest every three years or complete 45 hours of continuing education credits. But sometimes stuff comes up, or you forget the renewal date, and you end up letting your status lapse. Until now the only way to reinstate your CIP status was to retake the exam.
After a lot of research and discussion, both internally and with a few current (and former!) CIPs, we've developed a reinstatement process that we think is fair, that underscores the value of the CIP, and that stresses the importance of maintaining the CIP over time. I wrote about it at length, but here are the highlights:
- You must reinstate within one (1) calendar year of lapsing.
- You must submit 45 CEUs and pay the reinstatement fee of $200.
If you're not sure whether your status is still current or not, we maintain the updated list of active CIPs at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/CIPs-List. If your name is not on the list, your status has lapsed. If you think your name was removed from the list in error, please contact me directly at jwilkins@aiim.org and I'll investigate.
New Modern Records Management Master Class:
In February, we completed the development and launch of the Modern Records Management Master Class. This is complementary to, and includes, the MRM Specialist content we announced in the previous newsletter.
The course differs substantially from the ERM course in three main areas. First, we've removed a lot of the "RM 101"-type content. That content will be made available at some point, probably as a quick study course. Second, we've added a ton of in-depth content on digital recordkeeping including specific processes for how to conduct a systems and information inventory and how to conduct a file share cleanup. And most importantly, every module includes some focus on records management as a business enabler, with content that will help records managers get a seat at the table by showing how effective records management supports the goals of the organization.
The MRM Master Class is worth 26.0 CIP CEUs; for students who have already taken the MRM Specialist, you can elect to take just the Master content at a discount and earn 13.0 CEUs.
More information about this course is available at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/Deep-Dives/Deep-Dive-MRM.
You can find more information about all of our courses, all of which are approved for CEUs, at http://www.aiim.org/training.
The AIIM Community:
If you haven't been to the AIIM Community recently, you don't know what you're missing! Every day brings new questions and discussions that could be directly relevant to what you're doing. The Community includes an Open Forum, groups for individual chapters, and five specialist interest groups:
- ECM - Peer to Peer Advice
- GDPR - Peer to Peer Advice
- U.S. Federal Government
- Oil & Gas
- Women in Information Management
Anyone can read the posts, but you have to be a member to post something yourself. This is just one of the great benefits of being an AIIM member. The Community is available at http://community.aiim.org.
From the CIP:
Five Things that Well Written IM/IT Policies Avoid
by Lewis Eisen, CIP
Well-written administrative policies are clear, concise, and respectful to the people they govern. IM/IT policies are no exception.
The written policies of many organizations fall far short of that goal, however. They are overly long, ambiguous or confusing, and written as if angry parents were talking to bad children. It should come as no surprise in those cases that the organization spends an inordinate amount of time dealing with compliance problems.
There are five things that well written IM/IT policies avoid. [Continue reading.]
Why Do We Need Standards?
by Betsy Fanning, CIP
Standards reduce risks the organization may have when implementing technologies because they are developed by subject experts who collaborate to document the best way to implement or utilize a technology or improve a process. When you use a standard, you can be certain it has been tested which will provide a high level of reliability in its use. [Continue reading.]
CIP, the Lingua Franca of ECM
by Marko Silanpaa, CIP
To me, one the biggest value of the Certified Information Professional program is as common language for Enterprise Content Management. The lack of this common vocabulary easily costs tens of thousands of dollars to vendors and can add months to the vendor selection cycle for end users. [Continue reading.]
Share Your Story
As a CIP, I want to know what you're doing and how you're doing it. If you have a story to share, an article you think would be of interest to other CIPs, or even just want to tell your CIP story, send me a note at jwilkins@aiim.org. I can help you write it if needed, and we'll make sure it gets in the next newsletter.
Upcoming CEU Opportunities
Just a reminder that all CIPs have to complete 45 hours of continuing education every three years in order to remain certified. Here are some upcoming AIIM events you might wish to consider:
- AIIM18, April 11-13, San Antonio, 12.5 credits (done!)
- AIIM18 preconference workshops, April 10, 2018, San Antonio, 6.5 credits (done!)
- ECM Master Class, April 10-13, Amsterdam, 13.0 or 26.0 credits (done!)
- MRM Master Class, April 24-27, Toronto, ON, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- MRM Master Class, May 15-18, Silver Spring, MD, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- MRM Master Class, May 15-18, London, UK, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- BPM Master Class, June 5-8, Silver Spring, MD, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- Implementing Information Management on SharePoint and Office 365, June 26-29, Amsterdam, NL, 26.0 credits
- Upcoming AIIM Webinars, 1.0 credits
And non-AIIM events are OK too, as long as they are educational in nature and address at least one topic on the CIP. Vendor demos/presentations/sessions as well. Questions? Ping me at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Key POCs
You have questions? We have answers. Here's where to get AIIM-related information:
For questions about your CIP status, CEU status, or general questions about CIP - Me! jwilkins@aiim.org
For questions about AIIM training - Maureen Hearn, mhearn@aiim.org
To register for AIIM training:
US/areas outside of Europe: Michelle Clark, mturner@aiim.org
Europe: Angela Hymas, ahymas@aiim.org
For questions about Professional membership – Jessica Lombardo, jlombardo@aiim.org
March 26, 2018
March 22, 2018
March 20, 2018
E. Kyle Douglas, NARA Archives Express blog: Success Criteria for Managing Permanent Electronic Records
H/T: Peter Kurilecz
H/T: Peter Kurilecz
March 9, 2018
March 1, 2018
ARMA IGBOK Available
ARMA has announced that the first release of the Information Governance Body of Knowledge, IGBOK: The Foundation, is now generally available. It is free for members and $105 for non-members. Details and access to the IGBOK are available at http://www.arma.org/?page=IGBOK.
February 21, 2018
ARMA Canada releases Winter 2018 edition of Sargesse. Lots of good stuff in this newsletter, particularly a lengthy treatment of CAN/CGSB 72.34-2017, Electronic Records as Documentary Evidence.
February 16, 2018
Randolph Kahn, Business Law Today: The Incredibly Compelling Case to Rethink Records Retention in 2018 and Beyond
H/T: Peter Kurilecz
H/T: Peter Kurilecz
February 15, 2018
February 14, 2018
InfoGov18 Call for Speakers
Information Coalition has opened its call for speakers for InfoGov18, scheduled for Sept 25-28, 2018 in Providence, RI. The deadline to submit is March 31, 2018. More details and the submission form can be found at https://www.infogovcon.com/presenters/.
February 8, 2018
Gregory Zelfond, SharePointMaven.com: How to explain SharePoint metadata to employees in 5 easy steps
February 6, 2018
New CIP Reinstatement Program
The CIP has been active now for more than six years. In that time we've seen nearly 1,500 people pass the exam and every year has seen stronger growth than the year before.
Like all formal certifications, the CIP requires continuing education to maintain it. Technology changes fast, and so do processes and best practices, and the CIP needs to keep up with those changes.
But sometimes life happens. Things come up. CIPs decide not to renew for whatever reason...and then change their minds. Sometimes it's as simple as overlooking the need for recertification - or forgetting the exact date by which it needs to be completed.
For our part, we weren't as helpful as we could have been in ensuring that all CIPs were fully aware of the need to recertify and the deadlines for doing so. We recognized this last year and introduced automated workflows that send periodic reminders to CIPs about renewing. You should be getting these about every 6 months, until you have 6 months left, at which point we start getting serious with the nagging.
But that still leaves a question - what about everyone who lapsed, for whatever reason, and how do they reinstate their CIP status? One answer is to take the test again. But that's expensive, and requires you to go to a test center, and schedule around it, and some people have test anxiety, etc.
So we started thinking about the possibility of reinstatement. We did some research and found that most certifications, including some of the most highly-recognized and -valued certifications like the Project Management Institute's PMP and the International Association of Privacy Professionals' CIPP, offer a reinstatement process. The details vary, but almost all of them recognize that sometimes stuff happens.
After a lot of research and discussion, both internally and with a few current (and former!) CIPs, we've developed a reinstatement process that we think is fair, that underscores the value of the CIP, and that stresses the importance of maintaining the CIP over time. Here are the details, which are also available on the CIP reinstatement page at (link).
1. You can only reinstate within one (1) year of the expiration of your CIP status. Beyond that, you will have to take the then-current exam at the then-current fee.
2. You have to submit 45 hours of continuing education credits. This is the same as for maintaining your CIP. As we note in my CEU blog post, these can be AIIM events and webinars, or ARMA, or IAPP, or ACEDS, or any other sponsor, or even vendor events provided they are a) educational and b) relate to a specific CIP topic or to the broader field of information management.
3. You have to pay a one-time reinstatement fee of $200. This includes the maintenance fee for the new 3-year period, which is currently $135 for AIIM Professional Members and $150 for non-members.
4. Once you submit the reinstatement fee and CEUs, we'll process the reinstatement application. Assuming everything is good, you'll once again be a CIP in good standing, subject to current maintenance requirements.Your new renewal date will be three (3) years from the date of reinstatement.
As part of the launch of this reinstatement process, we are doing a 1-time reinstatement period good for ANY lapsed CIPs all the way back to 2011. To take advantage of this you MUST reinstate by April 10, 2018. Any CIPs lapsed after that date will be limited to 1 calendar year, after which you will have to take the test again in order to reinstate your CIP status.
We hope that this reinstatement process will encourage lapsed CIPs to come back into the fold. We have a lot of exciting stuff happening for the CIP program in 2018 and we want to encourage everyone who's passed the CIP exam to be a part of it.
You can find the forms and payment information at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/CIP/CIP-Reinstatement-from-lapsed.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please contact me directly at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Like all formal certifications, the CIP requires continuing education to maintain it. Technology changes fast, and so do processes and best practices, and the CIP needs to keep up with those changes.
But sometimes life happens. Things come up. CIPs decide not to renew for whatever reason...and then change their minds. Sometimes it's as simple as overlooking the need for recertification - or forgetting the exact date by which it needs to be completed.
For our part, we weren't as helpful as we could have been in ensuring that all CIPs were fully aware of the need to recertify and the deadlines for doing so. We recognized this last year and introduced automated workflows that send periodic reminders to CIPs about renewing. You should be getting these about every 6 months, until you have 6 months left, at which point we start getting serious with the nagging.
But that still leaves a question - what about everyone who lapsed, for whatever reason, and how do they reinstate their CIP status? One answer is to take the test again. But that's expensive, and requires you to go to a test center, and schedule around it, and some people have test anxiety, etc.
So we started thinking about the possibility of reinstatement. We did some research and found that most certifications, including some of the most highly-recognized and -valued certifications like the Project Management Institute's PMP and the International Association of Privacy Professionals' CIPP, offer a reinstatement process. The details vary, but almost all of them recognize that sometimes stuff happens.
After a lot of research and discussion, both internally and with a few current (and former!) CIPs, we've developed a reinstatement process that we think is fair, that underscores the value of the CIP, and that stresses the importance of maintaining the CIP over time. Here are the details, which are also available on the CIP reinstatement page at (link).
1. You can only reinstate within one (1) year of the expiration of your CIP status. Beyond that, you will have to take the then-current exam at the then-current fee.
2. You have to submit 45 hours of continuing education credits. This is the same as for maintaining your CIP. As we note in my CEU blog post, these can be AIIM events and webinars, or ARMA, or IAPP, or ACEDS, or any other sponsor, or even vendor events provided they are a) educational and b) relate to a specific CIP topic or to the broader field of information management.
3. You have to pay a one-time reinstatement fee of $200. This includes the maintenance fee for the new 3-year period, which is currently $135 for AIIM Professional Members and $150 for non-members.
4. Once you submit the reinstatement fee and CEUs, we'll process the reinstatement application. Assuming everything is good, you'll once again be a CIP in good standing, subject to current maintenance requirements.Your new renewal date will be three (3) years from the date of reinstatement.
As part of the launch of this reinstatement process, we are doing a 1-time reinstatement period good for ANY lapsed CIPs all the way back to 2011. To take advantage of this you MUST reinstate by April 10, 2018. Any CIPs lapsed after that date will be limited to 1 calendar year, after which you will have to take the test again in order to reinstate your CIP status.
We hope that this reinstatement process will encourage lapsed CIPs to come back into the fold. We have a lot of exciting stuff happening for the CIP program in 2018 and we want to encourage everyone who's passed the CIP exam to be a part of it.
You can find the forms and payment information at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/CIP/CIP-Reinstatement-from-lapsed.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please contact me directly at jwilkins@aiim.org.
February 2, 2018
ARMA Live! 2018 Call for Speakers Open
ARMA has announced its call for speakers for ARMA Live! 2018, scheduled for Oct 22-24 in Anaheim, CA. Proposals must be submitted by Mar 2, 2018. Speakers do not get a complimentary registration, but do receive a $500 discount to the conference registration fee.
More information on the submission process is available at
http://www.arma.org/default.asp?page=CallforProposals.
More information on the submission process is available at
http://www.arma.org/default.asp?page=CallforProposals.
Updated speaking/teaching schedule - Feb-Jun 2018
Here's a snapshot of what I'm up to through Q2 2018.
Feb 27 - Mar 2: public CIP Prep workshop in Silver Spring, MD
Mar 5-9: potential private Modern Records Management courses in Canada (TBC)
Mar 20-23: ECM Master Class in Silver Spring, MD
April 10-13: AIIM18 conference, San Antonio, TX
April 24: ARMA Mile Hi Denver Spring Seminar, Denver, CO
May 2: ARMA Madison Spring Seminar, Madison, WI
May 6-9: The MER 2018 Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
May 15-18: Modern Records Management Master Class in Silver Spring, MD
Jun 5-8: BPM Master Class in Silver Spring, MD
Jun 19-22: Implementing Information Management on SharePoint Master Class in Denver, CO
For details on any of these, visit the links or ping me at jwilkins13@gmail.com.
Feb 27 - Mar 2: public CIP Prep workshop in Silver Spring, MD
Mar 5-9: potential private Modern Records Management courses in Canada (TBC)
Mar 20-23: ECM Master Class in Silver Spring, MD
April 10-13: AIIM18 conference, San Antonio, TX
April 24: ARMA Mile Hi Denver Spring Seminar, Denver, CO
May 2: ARMA Madison Spring Seminar, Madison, WI
May 6-9: The MER 2018 Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
May 15-18: Modern Records Management Master Class in Silver Spring, MD
Jun 5-8: BPM Master Class in Silver Spring, MD
Jun 19-22: Implementing Information Management on SharePoint Master Class in Denver, CO
For details on any of these, visit the links or ping me at jwilkins13@gmail.com.
February 1, 2018
January 29, 2018
The InfoGov18 call for speakers is now open. Details are available at https://www.infogovcon.com/presenters/.
January 26, 2018
January 25, 2018
January 3, 2018
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting: Court rules private cell phones can contain public records
January 2, 2018
CIP Today Newsletter - Dec 2017
Originally sent to CIPs in December 2017.
Introduction:
As 2017 comes to a close I want to thank each and every one of you for your commitment to professional development and the CIP program. This has been the best year for the CIP since we started this journey in 2011, and I believe 2018 will be even better. We have lots of interesting things happening in 2018, including:
And much more! For the latest CIP news, I invite you to follow @AIIM_CIP on Twitter
I hope that you will find this newsletter valuable, and I welcome your thoughts, comments, and submissions at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Focus on AIIM18:
I'd like to invite you to attend the AIIM18 conference, scheduled for April 10-13, 2018 in San Antonio, TX. There are a ton of activities that should be of interest to CIPs, including:
Announcements:
CIP Certification Maintenance:
We've made some quality of life chances to certification maintenance. If you're a CIP, you can now submit your CEUs directly through a web-based form. This form only takes one activity at a time, though, so you'll need to submit another form for each event you do. As with the current PDF form, if it's an AIIM event - webinar, conference, training course - simply report the activity. If it's from a chapter event or another event producer (ARMA, MER, PMI, etc.) you will need to attach some sort of documentation such as a receipt, certificate of attendance, or agenda. Vendor events counts too - the only restrictions are that the event has to be educational and relate in some manner to the CIP. I wrote a blog post about the recertification process here: http://informata.blogspot.com/2016/07/maintaining-your-cip-certification.html
The CEU reporting form is live and available at https://gzclelland.wufoo.com/forms/zgi0j8s0t2bdj3/
You can pay the renewal fees online at
http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/CIP/CIP-Renewal-Payment. Note that, while this is live, it can only accept full payments, i.e. $75/$150 through the end of the year. If you have already paid a portion of your renewal fee, please contact me at jwilkins@aiim.org and we'll get you out an invoice for the balance due.
We're also introducing a new automated process to send out periodic reminders to CIPs that you need to complete the recertification process. We don't want to spam you, but we do want you to be able to complete your recertification in a timely and non-stressful manner, so we're going to send a reminder every 6 months or so, more frequently as your renewal date nears.
We've gotten a couple of questions about whether other certifications are eligible for CEUs. Any prep courses, studying, etc. that you did for a certification is eligible provided it aligns to the overall CIP and provided that you document it. However, the actual exams themselves - the time spent actually taking e.g. the CIPP/US exam or one or more CRM exams- are not eligible.
We also generally don't award CEUs for work product because we don't really have any way to determine the amount of work involved or what your contribution was. If it's a presentation, paper, etc. we can give credits for those, but not for holding project team meetings and the like.
Preapproval for CIP CEUs:
In addition, if you're an event producer and want to request credits for your event, we have a form available for that as well. The form asks for basic information: point of contact, event name, date, website, # credits requested, and includes a button to upload an agenda. We turn these around pretty quickly. The form is live and available at https://gzclelland.wufoo.com/forms/z13lxs091657r7s/
Changes to Fees & Payment Process Effective January 2018:
We've had more than a few former CIPs complain that they were decertified because they didn't know the process, weren't reminded, etc. To address that and hopefully streamline the overall process we're making a number of changes. We already noted the email reminders above; we're also changing the payment process.
New SharePoint Course:
In November we introduced a new SharePoint course, "Implementing Information Management on SharePoint and Office 365". Developed by 15-time Microsoft MVP Rob Bogue, this AIIM Master Class is a unique one for us because it includes 23 hands-on labs that will have students setting up their own SharePoint environment and actually using it to create the things discussed in the class.
It's also a bit different because it's different CEUs for the online vs. the instructor-led courses. The actual recorded content, including demos, is 10 hours or 10 CEUs for the online, since we have no way of knowing whether you actually complete the labs or not. The instructor-led course is worth 26.0 CEUs as per our other Master classes.
More information about this course is available at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/Deep-Dives/Deep-Dive-IIM-SP.
New Modern Records Management Course:
Just this month we also introduced a new Modern Records Management Specialist course. This course is intended to be a replacement for our existing ERM course once the Master Class component is delivered in February 2018.
The course differs substantially from the ERM course in three main areas. First, we've removed a lot of the "RM 101"-type content. That content will be made available at some point, probably as a quick study course. Second, we've added a ton of in-depth content on digital recordkeeping including specific processes for how to conduct a systems and information inventory and how to conduct a file share cleanup. And most importantly, every module includes some focus on records management as a business enabler, with content that will help records managers get a seat at the table by showing how effective records management supports the goals of the organization.
As with our other Specialist courses, this course is worth 13.0 CIP CEUs. More information about this course is available at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/Deep-Dives/Deep-Dive-MRM.
Share Your Story:
As a CIP, I want to know what you're doing and how you're doing it. If you have a story to share, an article you think would be of interest to other CIPs, or even just want to tell your CIP story, send me a note at jwilkins@aiim.org. I can help you write it if needed, and we'll make sure it gets in the next newsletter.
Upcoming CEU opportunities:
Just a reminder that all CIPs have to complete 45 hours of continuing education every three years in order to remain certified. Here are some upcoming AIIM events you might wish to consider:
And non-AIIM events are OK too, as long as they are educational in nature and address at least one topic on the CIP. Vendor demos/presentations/sessions as well. Questions? Ping me at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Key POCs:
You have questions? We have answers. Here's where to get AIIM-related information:
Introduction:
As 2017 comes to a close I want to thank each and every one of you for your commitment to professional development and the CIP program. This has been the best year for the CIP since we started this journey in 2011, and I believe 2018 will be even better. We have lots of interesting things happening in 2018, including:
- Celebrating our CIPs at AIIM18
- Development of a CIP-only group on our AIIM Community platform
- Revision of the CIP study guide
- Development of a 100-question sample exam
- A job task analysis in preparation for CIP v3 in 2019
- Focus on getting CIP into university IM/IT/business programs
And much more! For the latest CIP news, I invite you to follow @AIIM_CIP on Twitter
I hope that you will find this newsletter valuable, and I welcome your thoughts, comments, and submissions at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Focus on AIIM18:
I'd like to invite you to attend the AIIM18 conference, scheduled for April 10-13, 2018 in San Antonio, TX. There are a ton of activities that should be of interest to CIPs, including:
- CEUs! The conference will be worth 12.5 CEUs for the conference and another 6.5 if you take one of the precon workshops. And we're happy to see so many CIPs presenting, too!
- World-class networking throughout the conference. This is always one of the highlights of the annual conference; in fact, as an industry guy and Professional member myself, this is the best part of conference for me. You are the thought leaders and visionaries in the industry - please consider sharing your knowledge and expertise with other AIIM18 attendees.
- A CIP-only networking lunch on Wednesday, April 11
- The annual CIP group photo
- The exclusive CIP T-shirt (image). You voted on it, we're making it, we hope to see a ton of them in the group photo!
- And more! For more information visit http://www.aiimconference.com/
Announcements:
CIP Certification Maintenance:
We've made some quality of life chances to certification maintenance. If you're a CIP, you can now submit your CEUs directly through a web-based form. This form only takes one activity at a time, though, so you'll need to submit another form for each event you do. As with the current PDF form, if it's an AIIM event - webinar, conference, training course - simply report the activity. If it's from a chapter event or another event producer (ARMA, MER, PMI, etc.) you will need to attach some sort of documentation such as a receipt, certificate of attendance, or agenda. Vendor events counts too - the only restrictions are that the event has to be educational and relate in some manner to the CIP. I wrote a blog post about the recertification process here: http://informata.blogspot.com/2016/07/maintaining-your-cip-certification.html
The CEU reporting form is live and available at https://gzclelland.wufoo.com/forms/zgi0j8s0t2bdj3/
You can pay the renewal fees online at
http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/CIP/CIP-Renewal-Payment. Note that, while this is live, it can only accept full payments, i.e. $75/$150 through the end of the year. If you have already paid a portion of your renewal fee, please contact me at jwilkins@aiim.org and we'll get you out an invoice for the balance due.
We're also introducing a new automated process to send out periodic reminders to CIPs that you need to complete the recertification process. We don't want to spam you, but we do want you to be able to complete your recertification in a timely and non-stressful manner, so we're going to send a reminder every 6 months or so, more frequently as your renewal date nears.
We've gotten a couple of questions about whether other certifications are eligible for CEUs. Any prep courses, studying, etc. that you did for a certification is eligible provided it aligns to the overall CIP and provided that you document it. However, the actual exams themselves - the time spent actually taking e.g. the CIPP/US exam or one or more CRM exams- are not eligible.
We also generally don't award CEUs for work product because we don't really have any way to determine the amount of work involved or what your contribution was. If it's a presentation, paper, etc. we can give credits for those, but not for holding project team meetings and the like.
Preapproval for CIP CEUs:
In addition, if you're an event producer and want to request credits for your event, we have a form available for that as well. The form asks for basic information: point of contact, event name, date, website, # credits requested, and includes a button to upload an agenda. We turn these around pretty quickly. The form is live and available at https://gzclelland.wufoo.com/forms/z13lxs091657r7s/
Changes to Fees & Payment Process Effective January 2018:
We've had more than a few former CIPs complain that they were decertified because they didn't know the process, weren't reminded, etc. To address that and hopefully streamline the overall process we're making a number of changes. We already noted the email reminders above; we're also changing the payment process.
- Effective January 2018, the recertification fee will change from annual payments to a single payment during the three-year term. You can pay that fee at any time, but you must pay it within the 3-year anniversary of your certification date.
- We're also increasing the member renewal fee to $135. This brings the pricing in line with other AIIM member discount rates and is still a bargain compared to the cost (and stress!) of taking the CIP test again. The non-member rate will remain unchanged. So if you're a professional member (and why wouldn't you be?), if you pay whatever balance is due on your CIP renewal by the end of this calendar year, you'll be paying the current rate. If you wait until 2018, you'll have to pay $135 less whatever you've paid this cycle. Please contact me at jwilkins@aiim.org with any questions.
New SharePoint Course:
In November we introduced a new SharePoint course, "Implementing Information Management on SharePoint and Office 365". Developed by 15-time Microsoft MVP Rob Bogue, this AIIM Master Class is a unique one for us because it includes 23 hands-on labs that will have students setting up their own SharePoint environment and actually using it to create the things discussed in the class.
It's also a bit different because it's different CEUs for the online vs. the instructor-led courses. The actual recorded content, including demos, is 10 hours or 10 CEUs for the online, since we have no way of knowing whether you actually complete the labs or not. The instructor-led course is worth 26.0 CEUs as per our other Master classes.
More information about this course is available at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/Deep-Dives/Deep-Dive-IIM-SP.
New Modern Records Management Course:
Just this month we also introduced a new Modern Records Management Specialist course. This course is intended to be a replacement for our existing ERM course once the Master Class component is delivered in February 2018.
The course differs substantially from the ERM course in three main areas. First, we've removed a lot of the "RM 101"-type content. That content will be made available at some point, probably as a quick study course. Second, we've added a ton of in-depth content on digital recordkeeping including specific processes for how to conduct a systems and information inventory and how to conduct a file share cleanup. And most importantly, every module includes some focus on records management as a business enabler, with content that will help records managers get a seat at the table by showing how effective records management supports the goals of the organization.
As with our other Specialist courses, this course is worth 13.0 CIP CEUs. More information about this course is available at http://www.aiim.org/Education-Section/Deep-Dives/Deep-Dive-MRM.
Share Your Story:
As a CIP, I want to know what you're doing and how you're doing it. If you have a story to share, an article you think would be of interest to other CIPs, or even just want to tell your CIP story, send me a note at jwilkins@aiim.org. I can help you write it if needed, and we'll make sure it gets in the next newsletter.
Upcoming CEU opportunities:
Just a reminder that all CIPs have to complete 45 hours of continuing education every three years in order to remain certified. Here are some upcoming AIIM events you might wish to consider:
- AIIM18, April 10-13, 2018, San Antonio, 12.5 credits, http://www.aiimconference.com/
- AIIM18 preconference workshops, April 10, 2018, San Antonio, 6.5 credits, http://www.aiimconference.com/
- March 6-9: CIPP Privacy course, Silver Spring, MD, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- March 13-16: BPM Master Class, Amsterdam, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- March 20-23: ECM Master Class, Silver Spring, MD, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- April 10-13: ECM Master Class, Amsterdam, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- April 24-27: MRM Master Class, Toronto, ON, 13.0 or 26.0 credits
- Upcoming AIIM Webinars: http://www.aiim.org/Resources/Webinars/Webinars-List-Page
And non-AIIM events are OK too, as long as they are educational in nature and address at least one topic on the CIP. Vendor demos/presentations/sessions as well. Questions? Ping me at jwilkins@aiim.org.
Key POCs:
You have questions? We have answers. Here's where to get AIIM-related information:
- For questions about your CIP status, CEU status, or general questions about CIP - Me! jwilkins@aiim.org
- For questions about AIIM training - Maureen Hearn, mhearn@aiim.org
- To register for AIIM training:
- US/areas outside of Europe: Michelle Clark, mturner@aiim.org
- Europe: Angela Hymas, ahymas@aiim.org
- For questions about Professional membership - Jessica Lombardo, jlombardo@aiim.org
January 1, 2018
December 20, 2017
Matt Wade: "I don't trust the cloud" - Actually, you do. This is an even better example than the one I usually use in the records management context - that of the longstanding use of Iron Mountain et al for offsite storage.
H/T: Gregory Zelfond
H/T: Gregory Zelfond
December 19, 2017
December 18, 2017
December 15, 2017
December 14, 2017
AIIM Awards Nominations Now Open
AIIM announced today that it is accepting nominations for awards to be given at the AIIM18 annual conference in San Antonio, TX. Awards categories include:
Additional information, including past winners, is available at http://www.aiim.org/awards.
To submit your nomination, please submit your letter to Jessica Lombardo, Director of Membership (jlombardo@aiim.org), outlining your reason for nominating the AIIM member and why you think they should be honored in 2018. We will then follow up with the candidate for letters of support and a current CV.
Nominations are due by February 15, 2018.
- Company of Fellows (must be nominated by a Fellow)
- Award of Merit (limited to members of the CoF)
- Standards Achievement Award
- Carl Weise Scholarship Award
- AIIM Leadership Award
Additional information, including past winners, is available at http://www.aiim.org/awards.
To submit your nomination, please submit your letter to Jessica Lombardo, Director of Membership (jlombardo@aiim.org), outlining your reason for nominating the AIIM member and why you think they should be honored in 2018. We will then follow up with the candidate for letters of support and a current CV.
Nominations are due by February 15, 2018.
November 21, 2017
Eric A. Packel, in Lexology: Moving Beyond Passwords - Does Your Face Raise Privacy Concerns? Good article - when you use biometrics the thinking is that nobody has your face or fingerprints. But at some point those have to be converted into a digital string to be used as passwords etc. If your password is compromised, you can change it; how do you change your face?
November 20, 2017
November 8, 2017
November 2, 2017
Information Coalition announces new InfoBOK website, summit
The Information Coalition has posted to Twitter that there is a new site dedicated to the development of their information body of knowledge (InfoBOK). The site is live at https://infobok.com/; it also notes the scheduling of a 1-day summit to be held March 7, 2018 in NYC.
I certainly wish Nick well in this effort. That said, as I noted in my recent InfoGov17 keynote, I think there are significant challenges with this effort just as with other similar efforts by ARMA, Gartner, and even our own CIP development, including but not limited to:
As I noted in that keynote, this is not to disparage the work that's already been done, but simply to note that any BOK is a tradeoff between these sorts of elements, and this is no exception. There are some exceptionally smart and experienced people involved in this effort and I'll be interested to see where it ends up.
I certainly wish Nick well in this effort. That said, as I noted in my recent InfoGov17 keynote, I think there are significant challenges with this effort just as with other similar efforts by ARMA, Gartner, and even our own CIP development, including but not limited to:
- Getting consensus on what a given term/concept means
- The "SME" gap between those who are experienced enough to meaningfully contribute and the tendency of all of us to base best practices on what *we* know and do
- The opposite issue, which is the tendency to want to include emergent technologies and processes well before there are any best practices defined or even definable
- The Boundary issues that are always part of these efforts. No matter what is included, some information management-related topics will be excluded - in the case of the current draft of the InfoBOK for example there is no mention of customer communication management, geolocational/GIS management, COLD/ERM, or engineering drawing management.
As I noted in that keynote, this is not to disparage the work that's already been done, but simply to note that any BOK is a tradeoff between these sorts of elements, and this is no exception. There are some exceptionally smart and experienced people involved in this effort and I'll be interested to see where it ends up.
November 1, 2017
George Westerman, MIT Sloan Management Review: Your Company Doesn't Need a Digital Strategy
H/T: Billy Cripe
H/T: Billy Cripe
Sam Pfeifle, for TrainingIndustry.com: Making Sure the Training Fits the Data (re: privacy training)
October 30, 2017
Alex Stemkovsky: The Ever-Growing Need for an e-Discovery Attorney at the Corporate Level
H/T: Rob Robinson
H/T: Rob Robinson
October 24, 2017
October 17, 2017
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