Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Closing the Gap by Lisa De Luca

15/08/2016

Empowering Federal Professionals with Next-Generation Information Management Skills

As anybody who has been paying attention to federal headlines or budgets can tell you, the government is making major pushes to update its cybersecurity positioning. And for good reason - both the frequency and severity of cyberattacks are growing by the day. This has brought about the revelation that the government has a number of skills gaps concerning its cyber capabilities. However, while mending cyber skills gaps should be a pressing priority for the government, focusing too narrowly on cybersecurity may come at the cost of missing other equally severe shortcomings within the larger realm of information management. As pointed out in the first blog in this series (Uncovering Hidden Risk Within Federal Information Management Programs), there is a burgeoning information management skills gap that has yet to be recognized.

NextGen InfoPro and the Inherent Skills Gaps

If you missed our initial post, it dealt with a recent Iron Mountain survey that polled federal managers responsible for records and information management (RIM) in their agencies in order to identify their priorities and concerns over the next three to five years. This survey demonstrated that concerning gaps exist between the skills records management professionals currently have and those they believe will be required of them in the near future. Addressing these gaps will strengthen the management of information in the agencies, and will help secure that information across both physical and digital asset formats.

While nearly half (46%) of federal information management professionals cite managing all types of information assets, regardless of format, as a priority for their field, many feel unprepared to handle the future requirements of doing so. The survey also called out these areas of need:

Agencies recognize the need for improvement of key skills: Risk management (34%) is most often cited as an area for improvement, followed by electronic records retention (24%), RIM practices (24%) and analytics (21%)

Risk management/security/data privacy (54%), analytics (42%) and content/records management (33%) are the most desired skill sets

Information security (52%) is by far the technical skill in greatest demand, while innovative thinking (39%) came in as the soft skill most in demand

Given this information, what can agencies do to prevent this skills gap from becoming a major problem?

Remedying Through Training

Increasing the amount of training available to employees seems to be the best way to accomplish this, according to the survey results. Although agencies currently do offer training to help their employees' professional growth, more could be done in this area. Currently, agencies support professional growth through a variety of means with internal training being noted most often by survey respondents (60%). Almost half also indicate they receive support from their agency in the form of professional development plans and paying for external training.

Providing more training in various areas of expertise is cited most often as a way to motivate and support professional development. About one-half feel that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) should provide more specific training courses toward certification and deliver progressive training courses via online modules or webinars as ways to motivate understanding and adherence, and support professional development.

Additional Steps

Agencies should also promote the knowledge and mentoring skills of experienced staff before they leave the agency for retirement. These individuals hold a rich repository of knowledge that should be tapped as part of a wider mentoring and training regimen. This will help with the very important task of information transfer and ensure continuity of operations over the longer term. In addition, a focus on developing specialized technical skills, such as agile development, Lean Six Sigma and application and process integration will be important to address the specialized areas in demand. Agencies can also help foster soft skills that were rated as only adequate' or below, such as communications (68%), change management (46%)and use case development (50%) for enhanced internal communications and information sharing.

Readying for the Next Generation

Agencies should take note that most employees are actively seeking professional development opportunities over three-quarters of respondents agree they are proactive in seeking additional training and education to enhance their professional skills. To mitigate rising skills gaps before they occur and to meet this internal demand for training, agencies should consider professional development programs delivered according to employee's preferences, such as in-office training, professional conferences and online courses and webinars.

As the government increasingly collects and utilizes larger stores of information, it cannot afford to have any capability gap compromise the integrity and progress to date of its information keepers. In order to prepare for the next generation of information professionals, agencies need to be doing all that they can in the present to actively engage their employees and provide attractive training, awareness and professional development programs that may save them from having to contend with future skills gaps.
LINK: http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2016/industry/federal-government-records...
See more stories from ironmountain

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

21/10/2025

NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part of the East Coast Expo

NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...

21/10/2025

NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content' Are Themes for Two-Day Show

NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...

21/10/2025

SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Experience, DTC Products, Tech, and Operations, NBA

SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...

21/10/2025

NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancillary Camera Angles, Real-Time Highlights

NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...

21/10/2025

NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director Pierre Moossa

NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...

21/10/2025

NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Seamlessly Blends Onsite, REMI Models

NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...

21/10/2025

What to Watch: 6 Indigenous-Led Contemporary Stories Supported by the Documentary Film Program

Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...

21/10/2025

2026 Sundance Film Festival Announces Park City Legacy Program Featuring Archival Screenings, Special Talks, and Culmination Event

Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...

21/10/2025

DEADBEAT' Delivered a Raw Communal Party With Tame Impala and The Dare in Brooklyn

Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...

21/10/2025

SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celebrate NSW Aboriginal Languages Week

SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...

21/10/2025

Turning Viewers into Promoters: What Rising NPS Scores Tell Us About the Power of Experience

As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...

21/10/2025

L3Harris Successfully Completes Important Milestone for Army SATCOM Program

Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...

21/10/2025

In the Undersea Domain - Reliability is Key

New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...

21/10/2025

WWTV Bridges 48 Miles with Bold IP Studio Upgrade, Powered by Clear-Com and Key Code Media

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

21/10/2025

The Gauge: Poland | September 2025

September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...

21/10/2025

Nielsen: September Football Blitz Leads to Historic Monthly Spike in Broadcast Viewership

Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly Increase ...

21/10/2025

THE GAUGE: MEXICO SEPTEMBER 2025

During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month. Disclaimer: YU...

21/10/2025

BBright, GlobalM Successfully Trial End-to-End UHD Interoperability

RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...

21/10/2025

Kokusai Denki To Debut New 4K Camera at 2025 NAB Show New York

Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...

21/10/2025

Triveni Digital to Showcase Industrys Most Comprehensive...

Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...

21/10/2025

Radio Azzurra Advances to Digital Workflow with DHD SX2 A...

Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...

21/10/2025

Globecast Appoints G Morgan as EVP of Sales for Globecast...

Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...

21/10/2025

Visual Data Strengthens Global Leadership with Appointmen...

Visual Data announces the appointment of Maz Al-Jumaili as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Localization, to advance client engagement, strategic partnerships, ...

21/10/2025

Grup Mediapro to Deliver Prime Video NBA Coverage to the Hispanic Market

As Amazon's Prime Video prepares to launch its coverage of NBA basketball under a major new deal, Grup Mediapro has announced that it is working with the st...

21/10/2025

ADTH to Upgrade NextGen TV Receivers With Gateway Capabilities

ATLANTA Good news for consumers using an Atlanta DTH receiver to watch ATSC 3.0: with a new software update, they will be able to blanket their homes with Wi-Fi...

21/10/2025

Study: 'More Critical Than Ever for Brands to Focus on Hispanics

While recent news has been heavily focused on Hispanic migration into the U.S., The 2025 Hispanic Market Report from Claritas highlights the fact that this gr...

21/10/2025

RWS Appoints Michael Wayne as Head of Media and Entertainment

MAIDENHEAD, UK RWS has hired Michael Wayne as its head of media and entertainment in Los Angeles where he will lead the company's media localization busines...

21/10/2025

Imagine Communications Acquires Pixel Power From Rohde an...

Imagine Communications and Rohde & Schwarz today announced a definitive agreement under which Imagine will acquire Pixel Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiar...

21/10/2025

ADTH Announces New NEXTGEN TV Gateway Receiver Implementi...

Atlanta DTH (ADTH) today announced a major update that will expand the functionality of its NEXTGEN TV receiver by enabling gateway capabilities allowing viewer...

21/10/2025

Heartland Video Systems Partners with Zixi for Resilient...

Heartland Video Systems, Inc. (HVS), a premier video systems integration, consulting, and expert ATSC 3.0 implementation firm announces that it has partnered wi...

21/10/2025

QuickLink Appoints Austin Hinton as Solutions Enablement...

QuickLink, the leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest integration solutions, today announced the appointment of Austin Hinton as it...

21/10/2025

Miri Technologies to Unveil New Resilient Internet Platfo...

nternet connectivity startup Miri Technologies Inc. will use this week's NAB Show New York as the launch pad for its latest ground-breaking innovation, the ...

21/10/2025

Flexibly Price, Report, and Steward Deals with WO Network

In today's evolving media landscape, audience measurement isn't one-size-fits-all. With multiple measurement providers now available, networks need the ...

21/10/2025

VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan to Acquire Online Classifieds Business OLX Kazakhstan

21 Oct 2025 VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan to Acquire Online Classifieds Busines...

21/10/2025

Tribeca Films to Release Independent Comedy Serious People from Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson

October 21st, 2025 Tribeca Films to Release Independent Comedy Serious People...

21/10/2025

Introducing Ivory 3 LE Uprights - Modern & Vintage

Synthogy is excited to announce the launch of Ivory 3 LE Uprights - Modern & Vintage, the latest addition to our game-changing Ivory 3 platform. This Legacy Ed...

21/10/2025

Sky Arts turns up the groove with new three-part documentary, Greatest Basslines, airing 28 November

Series from Sony Music Vision Features Exclusive Performances From Legendary Bas...

21/10/2025

House trumps spouse: Brits say home ownership matters more than marriage

Tuesday 21 October 2025 Current slide, 0 0, undefined1 0 Download assets Buying a home ranks above becoming a parent as a key rite of passage into adulthood...

21/10/2025

Netflix Unveils Monster Mash in Trailer of Troll 2' - the Highly Anticipated Sequel to the Global Sensation

Back to All News Netflix Unveils Monster Mash in Trailer of Troll 2' - the...

21/10/2025

For the Fans! Netflix Goes Golden Forging Unprecedented KPop Demon Hunters' Master Toy Partnerships with Mattel and Hasbro

Back to All News For the Fans! Netflix Goes Golden Forging Unprecedented KPop ...

21/10/2025

How can businesses close the AI adoption gap? Start with...

How can businesses close the AI adoption gap? Start with your recruitment teams, new LinkedIn research shows Published on Oct 21, 2025 Categories: Data and in...

21/10/2025

Synchron Stage Reverb SO: free for Focusrite customers

Synchron Stage Reverb SO: free for Focusrite customers Bring the sound of Vienna's legendary recording stage into your music, free for all Focusrite custo...

20/10/2025

Inside TAMS: How Time-Addressable Media Stores Could Redefine Sports Workflows

Inside TAMS: How Time-Addressable Media Stores could redefine sports workflows By Paul Markham Friday, October 17, 2025 - 08:57 Print This Story A penalty...

20/10/2025

Transformational Production: Inside TVN's Remote Production Push for the DFL's Bundesliga 2

Transformational production: Inside TVN's remote production push for the DFL...

20/10/2025

How NBC Sports Transitioned Stamford Facility to One Format: 1080p HDR

How NBC Sports Transitioned Stamford Facility to One Format: 1080p HDRMulti-year plan harmonizes workflows, simplifies operationsBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial ...

20/10/2025

NBA on NBC' Studio Production Team Is Ready for Tip-Off With Coast-to-Coast Tuesday'

NBA on NBC' Studio Production Team Is Ready for Tip-Off With Coast-to-Coast...

20/10/2025

Under Pressure: TVN CEO Markus Osthaus Considers the German Sports Broadcasting Market

Under pressure: TVN CEO Markus Osthaus considers the German sports broadcasting ...

20/10/2025

Carmen Emmi's Plainclothes Evokes the Rawness and Sensuality of New Queer Cinema

(L-R) Maria Dizzia, Carmen Emmi, and Russell Tovey attend the Plainclothes pre...

20/10/2025

Search and Follow Your Favorite Venues on Spotify

In March, we launched Concerts Near You to help listeners find concerts from their favorite artists. Since then, more than 3 million people have used it to disc...