SII: an open letter to ARMA members.

My name is Jim Long and I am one of the two outside Directors on ARMA International's Board of Directors. I have just commenced my second year on the ARMA Board and, as requested, I also serve as Chairman of the interim Board of Director's for the new Strategic Information Institute (SII).

I am writing this letter because so much has been said recently in a variety of forums regarding the SII and I thought you might appreciate hearing my perspective. First, perhaps a little on my background is appropriate. I have more than 30 years' experience in the IT industry and have been President/CEO of two companies, completed a successful IPO, as well as numerous mergers and acquisitions, and I have the scars to prove it. During these years, I had the pleasure to speak at ARMA's national conference and at numerous Chapter meetings.

Almost two years ago, an ARMA Board member contacted me to see if I was interested in being considered for one of ARMA's first outside Director positions. Initially, I was not because my duties as CEO in a post-acquisition phase were too demanding. But then, the Board member went on to explain the SII Initiative and what ARMA hoped to achieve through its implementation. Although ARMA had been working on the initiative for several months, much remained to be done including validating and refining the business plan and presenting it to the Board as a whole.

What truly amazed me was the vision and determination of ARMA to boldly propose a way to address a critical shortcoming within our industry. Here was a respected, established organization of records and information managers attempting to create a for-profit entity to provide a way to improve strategic information management. It really caught my attention because from all my consulting years, if there was anything keeping company CEOs or government agency heads awake at night, it was the fear that their information was not being managed or protected properly and therefore represented the organizations' "Achilles heel." Events since then have only proved this incredible vulnerability. I'm sure Arthur Andersen wishes it could revisit its implementation of its document shredding policy.

The more I listened, the more interested I was in trying to help ARMA move this exciting initiative down the road. It was visionary, bold, and something that would benefit society, ARMA, and its members. So I agreed to become a candidate and was subsequently named to the Board. Frankly, it has been a wild ride since, which brings me back to why I am writing this letter.

The SII concept, particularly for a non-profit professional association with many ongoing operational needs, presented many communications challenges. I know the ARMA Board wishes it had done a better job initially of communicating the intent of the SII to the ARMA membership. As a result, efforts have been underway since April to improve communications. But it seems many respected ARMA members still have questions and concerns. So, if you'll permit me, I would like to summarize briefly why I believe the SII initiative is worth doing and why ARMA should continue with the plan as approved.

1. The need for strategic information management is there and only an initiative backed by the prestige and power of a 10,000-plus-member ARMA could provide the distinction and validation needed for it to be successful.

2. ARMA's initial 100-percent ownership of the SII with a lower ownership in the future as new investors come on board permits ARMA to have significant control of its direction and impact. ARMA will always have "first right of refusal" for providing any new service need identified.

3) SII would create additional rungs on the career ladder for ARMA members through establishment of Strategic Information Officers and the recognition of the critical role effective and practical records and information management plays.

4. SII should become the vehicle to ultimately implement organizational accreditation for strategic information management that over time could become the national standard.

5. SII's approach to create consortium partnerships to advance its concepts will benefit many other organizations as they assist customers in implementing SII's standards.

6. Finally, in addition to all the above benefits, there is a reasonable probability that ARMA's initial investment in the SII could be recovered many times over in the years to come.

I know these all sound like very compelling arguments and you should know that your Board of Directors remains appropriately cautious in its optimism. They have authorized only enough additional funding ($75K) to carry SII through December of this year. If at that time the SII team has located its first significant outside investor, then and only then will the Board provide its second round of funding (another $75K). The SII Business Plan calls for all required funding after that date to come from earned revenues and investors. My point in bringing this up is to stress that your ARMA Board has taken a cautious and prudent approach to additional funding for the SII.

I hope this letter has conveyed some useful information as well as my excitement for the vision behind the SII initiative. With a little luck and some hard work, I firmly believe the SII could have a profound impact on ARMA's prestige and visibility, as well as on the upward career potential for each ARMA member. Frankly, in my opinion, it speaks volumes about the quality, guts, and heart of the ARMA organization.

Thanks for listening. See you in New Orleans!