Stop PIPA/SOPA!

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

CIP

After a lot of good feedback and hard work, the folks at AIIM have re-branded the "information certification" as the "Certified Information Professional" (CIP). This is an excellent improvement, and will help in communicating the purpose and importance of this program and designation to a wider audience.

I have updated my earlier post about me earning the certification.

Every information management professional and information architect should become a Certified Information Professional. Experienced pros can quickly identify and fill knowledge gaps, while newcomers have a solid learning path to become an information subject matter expert. Earning the CIP designation demonstrates to your organization and clients that you are a valuable resource for their enterprise information initiatives.

Learn more about the Certified Information Professional.

Certified Information Professional

I am a Certified Information Professional.  I just passed the proctored exam and received my CIP Examination Score Report.  In a few weeks I should have access to the official logo and credentials.

While for obvious reasons test takers cannot retain a copy of any questions answered incorrectly (or otherwise), this Score Report shows the percentage correct for each section.  That's very helpful, in my opinion, because now I'm motivated to review the concepts in one of the sections in particular.  (Cue the handy youtube videos!)  I want to be as strong in that section as in the others.

If you are an information worker, architect, manager, or executive, you should strongly consider becoming a Certified Information Professional.  And while you're at it, check out the fabulous certificate programs and training essentials AIIM offers.

New Certified Information Professional

Enterprise Search: AIIM's Information Certification Training

The following playlist includes videos from AIIM's Information Certification training on Enterprise Search posted to their YouTube channel.

AIIM's Information Certification

AIIM now offers the new Information Certification.  According to the AIIM Web site,

The new Information certification demonstrates your ability to solve an organization's existing information-related problems as well as plan for the future.

The objectives outlined for the certification are as follows:

Certified information professionals contribute to the success of their organizations by helping address the following kinds of information management challenges (both on-premises and in the cloud):

1. Ensure information is dynamically delivered to staff and customers via websites, mobile, and social media
2. Improve information sharing and collaboration by leveraging virtual collaboration solutions, social networks, and existing and emerging communications technologies
3. Improve enterprise search and access to information across organizational and technology boundaries
4. Continuously analyze information to identify new business opportunities and improvements
5. Ensure appropriate information security and privacy controls across systems and platforms to protect the organization and its staff
6. Manage information and records regardless of format or location to meet regulatory compliance and e-discovery readiness requirements
7. Streamline and automate information intensive processes across systems and platforms to improve efficiency and reduce costs

The information professional should also be able to bridge the increasing gap between enterprise IT and business executives that currently exist in many organizations. The information professional should be able to effectively communicate and facilitate; establish consistent project/program management; research user experience / user customization; demonstrate technical and analytical skills; and engage in IT architecture/technology planning (source: Forrester Research, Nov 17, 2010).

This is what I've been doing for a long time now—I'm scheduling my exam right away!

Get more information:

• Information Certification Overview
• Free training videos on YouTube

Government IT Reform

I'm currently working through the White House's 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management. I want to quickly highlight the first paragraph of that document so that you will understand why I am so passionate about helping Uncle Sam make major improvements:

Information technology should enable government to better serve the American people. But despite spending more than $600 billion on information technology over the past decade, the Federal Government has achieved little of the productivity improvements that private industry has realized from IT. Too often, Federal IT projects run over budget, behind schedule, or fail to deliver promised functionality. Many projects use “grand design” approaches that aim to deliver functionality every few years, rather than breaking projects into more manageable chunks and demanding new functionality every few quarters. In addition, the Federal Government too often relies on large, custom, proprietary systems when “light technologies” or shared services exist.

Wow—$600 billion dollars in 10 years spent on an enormous growing digital landfill. Thankfully, there are some good folks in DC driving reform. I'm thankful to be a SharePoint Architect/ECM Architect here helping lead one of the agencies in their implementation of these reforms.

I'm working hard for the American people, and yet you won't have to endure even one campaign ad featuring me come election time!

Washington, D.C.

I have begun my new job in Washington, D.C. as a SharePoint Architect. I'm working with the Department of Labor to plan out a SharePoint deployment for ECM, ERM, and Government 2.0 within one of their agencies. It's really exciting stuff!

The first day that I walked through the streets of the District, I was struck by the fact that their buildings are all only about 13-14 stories tall. "What is that about?" I asked my coworker, who was walking with me between buildings. He quoted a popular theory, that by law the buildings cannot be taller than the Washington Monument.

I apprectiated his insight, but I'm always very curious and like to back up my sources. It's a good thing, too, because according to Wikipedia and its sources, there has never been a law restricting building height to that of the Washington Monument. Rather, according to the amended Heights of Buildings Act, buildings cannot be higher than the width of their adjacent street plus 20 feet. That is one reason cited for the expensive housing situation in DC. And that is part of why close to half the people who work here live in Virginia or Maryland.

I have now walked some of K Street, and have been a block from the White House and the Capitol Building, but still haven't had time to actually go see these famous buildings. I'm looking forward to it, though, and all the rest of what this awesome city has to offer!