E-Discovery, Records & Information Management Conference & Expo

Digital Government Institute's 2010 E-Discovery, Records & Information Management Conference exceeded the prior year's attendance, delivering over 370 mostly government attendees, making it one of the largest events on the topic.  This year's conference was held in conjunction with the Federal Information and Records Management (FIRM) Council's March Program.  

Jason R. Baron's, Director of Litigation, NARA (pictured right) introductory remarks included an eye-opening video appropriately titled "e-Discovery: Did You Know?". (The link is posted under DGI's "E-Discovery/Records Management" Knowledge Center.)

Miriam Nisbet, Director, Office of Government Information Services, NARA (pictured left), presented a keynote address "Is Freedom of Information in the Digital Age a Contradiction in Terms?"  "Excellent presentation, good information about new NARA responsibility," commented one attendee.  "Good job informing audience of the creation of OGIS and its expected responsibilities with litigation," said another.

Other sessions included "Managing E-Discovery for Government: Integrating Teams and Technology", with panelists Larry Creech, Program Manager, Information Catalog Program, Corporate Information Security, Information Technology, USPS (seated at picture on right) and  Daniel Lim, Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel, Guidance Software.  Attendees' remarks:  "Good information that needs to be emphasized at every seminar and conference on E-Discovery,"  and "Very useful overview of ever-changing preservation obligations.  Provided information crucial for attorneys and records managers."  (View an on-demand webcast on this topic, presented by Mr. Creech and Mr. Lim.)

Brian Weiss, Vice President for Information Governance and Compliance, Autonomy (pictured left) presented "Next-Generation Information Governance Models" to a full house.   "Provocative and inspirational... Good speaker and great content," said an attendee.

Sean Regan, Senior Manager and E-Discovery Product Marketing Manager, Symantec (pictured right) concluded the morning sessions with "Can You Pass the E-mail Tuberculosis Test?" where he presented a case study on how this rare illness put one County's information management and e-mail archiving practices to the test.  "Excellent presentation of relevant information.  Identified problems and offered solutions...Concrete nuggets, good take-aways," commented an attendee.

Attendees, including Deborah Armentrout, Chief, Records and Archives, NRC (front center in left photo) -- a Conference Speaker and Education Advisory Committee member -- listen intently to one of the presentations.

What Attendees Said

• "Very thoughtfully put together.  All speakers were engaging."
• "I gained vocabulary for the situation I face at work-getting IT, RM and end users to understand one another."
• "Joint session with FIRM was great addition, as it allowed for a more "advanced" view."
• "Information shared will be very useful -- a practical approach." 

What Attendees enjoyed most about the conference:

• "The mix of legal, program, and IT perspectives."
• "Networking among other peers in various agencies.  Speakers were excellent."
• "The experiences and lessons learned by the Federal Government agencies in implementing archiving and ECMS."
• "Listening about best practices (what works) from NARA and other agencies."
• "Speakers' examples of actual problems."
• "The ability to learn about E-Discovery and Records Management at other agencies and new products for these industries."

What Sponsors Said...

• "The eDiscovery show was the best we have done since I took over Federal Marketing."
• "It was a great event and my reps got a lot out of it."
• "My team was really pleased with the types of attendees at the conference...I look forward to working with  you again."
• "Thanks!  It was awesome."

Expo

Attendees interact with sponsors and their government colleagues during the dedicated networking breaks.

Education Advisory Committee

DGI thanks the Education Advisory Committee for its input on developing the Conference Program:

• Deborah Armentrout, Chief, Records and Archives, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Jason R. Baron, Director of Litigation, National Archives and Records Administration
• Charley Barth, Director of Navy Records, U.S. Navy
• Joseph Bryant, Vital Records Liaison & Records Custodian, Issuances and Records Management Group, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services
• L. Reynolds (Ren) Cahoon, Director, Advanced Programs, Civil Mission Solutions, Lockheed Martin and former Assistant Archivist for HR and Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration
• Larry Creech, Program Manager, Information Catalog Program, Corporate Information Security, Information Technology, U.S. Postal Service
• Michael Daconta, Chief Technology Officer, Accelerated Information Management
• Omar Herran, Information Management Officer, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice and FIRM Council Chair
• Daniel Lim, Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel, Guidance Software
• Mark Mandel, Public Records Administrator, DC Government and President, No. VA Chapter, ARMA International
• Jeannette Plante, Director, Office of Records Management Policy, Department of Justice
• Robert Silverman, CEO, Reach Solutions
• Catherine Teti, Managing Director, Knowledge Services, Government Accountability Office