IGHS27, Mike Salvarezza, ARMA International

Jim Merrifield (00:01.076)
Well, hello and welcome to the InfoGov Hot Seat I'm your host Jim Merrifield and with me today is Mike Salvarezza at Pontus Consulting and ARMA International. Welcome Mike.

mike salvarezza (00:11.681)
Thanks, Jim. I'm glad to be here.

Jim Merrifield (00:14.612)
Yeah, no, glad that you took a few minutes to sit on the hot seat, ask you a few questions, get to know you a little better and what you got in the cooker. To start off, can you tell us a brief introduction of your role and one fun fact about yourself? I know you have a lot going on.

mike salvarezza (00:33.6)
I do have a lot going on. And right now I'm running this consulting firm, which is largely myself. I have several clients. My biggest and my most cherished project is I'm working with ARMA And really, you know, my background comes from the world of information governance and records management and business compliance.

ethics, business ethics, corporate culture and information technology. That's a big word soup of a lot of things, but that's where I come from. And working with ARMA on their educational events is really, really exciting. And I think that the InfoNext Next conference, which I think we'll be talking about during this podcast, is just an exciting project. So...

We'll get into all of that, I'm sure, but you asked me about one fun fact. A lot of people don't know, but I'm an underwater photographer. And I spend, whenever I'm not immersed in the world of information governance, I'm immersed in the oceans and I'm, you know, under the water photographing. I write articles for magazines and do a lot of presentations on that stuff. Been around the world, been a lot of different places. So...

I used that in my corporate life when I was in the corporate world. People would often ask me, aren't you intimidated to go and speak to the board of directors? And I just think back to the time I was shark diving in the Bahamas and say, no, I'm not really worried about the board of directors.

Jim Merrifield (02:15.188)
That's too funny. That's that's awesome. I hadn't known that. Is there a favorite place that you like to take photos or video?

mike salvarezza (02:24.349)
You know, I get asked that question all the time and I just like to go to different places. So my favorite dive has been down in Antarctica, actually, which often people say, wow, you can dive in Antarctica. It was an effort and a challenge, but that was my most memorable expedition, if you will. But I don't like to repeat. I like to just see different places.

Jim Merrifield (02:50.708)
No, that's cool. That's cool. Thanks for sharing that.

mike salvarezza (02:53.775)
You're welcome.

Jim Merrifield (02:55.092)
Yeah, so you mentioned the InfoNext Conference. We're going to talk, the next series of questions are going to be about that conference in beautiful Palm Springs, California in April. So it's coming up. Here's the first question for you, Mike. Can you describe the primary objectives and themes for this year's InfoNext Conference?

mike salvarezza (03:15.964)
I can. So first I should say that the InfoNext Conference, for those in the audience who may not know, the InfoNext Conference is really the MER Conference under a new name. The MER Conference has a 30 -plus year heritage of bringing world -class content around electronic records and records and information management and in the last decade or so information governance.

When MER Conference came under the ARMA umbrella, we've decided to rename it, rebrand it. So InfoNext, even though this year is the very first InfoNext conference, it's really the next in a long line of what we used to know as the MER Conference. So if you're a past attendee of the MER Conference, everything you know and love about the MER Conference will...

be reflected in InfoNext next, and then there'll be more because ARMA has been able to bring more to the table. So I wanted to say that because when, to answer your question, what are the themes and what's the focus? You know, MER always had a focus of approaching information governance with three different lenses. The first lens being the legal lens, the second lens being sort of an operational lens.

and the third lens, the technological lens. Those three lenses you will see carry forward at InfoNext. So we'll be addressing the most recent legal issues as they relate to information governance. We'll be talking about the latest technological developments that present opportunities and challenges for IG programs. And we'll be dealing with operational topics that...

you might think of operational topics as a little bit more of how -to, like a how -to session. And overarching, so that's the overarching framework. The topics specifically will come as no surprise to folks in this field, we'll be dealing with artificial intelligence, the rise of generative AI has really, I think, lit a bonfire around...

mike salvarezza (05:40.634)
AI and information governance really has to deal with AI. So we'll be conducting a number of sessions on AI as it relates to information governance. Also, we will be focusing a fair amount of attention on Microsoft and the Microsoft platform. All of the governance tools that Microsoft is producing, Purview, Syntax, Copilot,

All of these things really bear discussion at a conference like InfoNext. So we'll be having experts talk about how those tools, how those capabilities play into your information governance program. Recognize that Microsoft is the dominant desktop and office computing platform, but not everyone uses it. So we are going to have a session on Google and Apple.

and sort of talk about the same thing from a Google and Apple perspective. So if you're a Google shop, don't feel left out. We'll be addressing that as well. Other things, we will address privacy. We'll address cybersecurity. We have a great session on cybersecurity and how to prepare for a cybersecurity audit. So it's that type of content that I think people will...

we'll see at InfoNext as being very valuable.

Jim Merrifield (07:11.928)
That's great. It's exciting. You've certainly whet my appetite for the conference for sure. So let's talk about the types of sessions. What type of sessions, speakers, you mentioned experts are planned for this year's conference and how are they selected?

mike salvarezza (07:16.026)
Right.

mike salvarezza (07:29.914)
So, you know, we have a process at the MER conference that we transferred over to the InfoNext conference of curating this content. So, I'm answering your last question first, which is how did we get to this content? We had a process where we really reached out to potential speakers. We had a general call for speakers and we selected some sessions from that.

But a lot of this was targeted reach out. So we went to our roster of experts that we know in the field and we said, hey, look, we need some sessions on Microsoft and let's brainstorm on what are the most relevant topics. So a lot of brainstorming, a lot of iteration with the potential speakers to create this agenda. This is not a...

not a slapped together agenda. This is an agenda that is extremely thoughtful. In terms of the types of sessions, there'll be a few sessions that you might think of as more workshoppy. So a workshoppy session around how to make the right arguments for information governance and AI, that type of thing, or how...

to structure your governance program around AI. Then there'll be other sessions that are more educational in nature. There'll be some, I think, very interesting plenary session stage sessions. So that's where we'd have like a keynote or a plenary session. The keynote, actually, I should mention something about the keynote.

The opening keynote on Monday of the conference is by Kay Firth Butterfield. Kay Firth Butterfield is an artificial intelligence futurist who just received the Time Magazine 100 Impact Award at the World Government Summit in Dubai. And that's really about her work for advocating for the responsible use of AI. So she'll be talking about that as a keynote.

mike salvarezza (09:53.85)
And then on Tuesday, I think this is a little bit more, gonna be a little bit more fun and entertaining. We're gonna have the great debate. The great debate is gonna be between characters that you probably know, Jason Stearns and John Isaza And they'll be up on stage and they will be debating the pressing issues of information governance today. And if the people in the audience know either of those two, they know that neither one of them is a shrinking violet. And...

That'll be a fun session.

Jim Merrifield (10:26.228)
Yeah, lots to look forward to. It certainly seems like you have great sessions, great speakers, and the keynotes, and that AI expert is something definitely to look forward to. And of course, that great debate between Jason and John will be a lot of fun. So yeah, so I mean, you mentioned it a little bit, but how does this conference in particular address the latest trends and challenges in information governance? I know you mentioned AI.

and those sort of things. But anything else you wanted to share around that question?

mike salvarezza (10:58.522)
Yeah, I don't want to repeat, but yeah, I did sort of talk about AI, but there are others. We have a battery of legal experts that practice law in this space. And we'll have sessions on the most current and pressing trends in e -discovery. We'll have the most up -to -date case filings and case law.

coming out of the courts. So it's not just, you know, what's the latest and greatest in Microsoft. It's really, we try to get the latest and most pressing issues across that full spectrum that I was talking about. So those are some other things that I would have mentioned. The legal sessions, the case law, the e -discovery trends, as well as the technologies. The latest and greatest around...

privacy, for example. Privacy is an ever -changing monster. And to try to stay on top of that is a challenge. So we're trying to bring the best privacy topic to the table as well.

Jim Merrifield (12:13.748)
Yeah, for sure. Now, Mike, education sessions are great, but let's talk about some fun things like networking. Can you tell us a little more about the networking opportunities available at the conference?

mike salvarezza (12:28.57)
Well, unfortunately, Palm Springs is not great for scuba diving. So I'm left out in the cold there. More seriously, the InfoNext conference is architected to allow for ample networking time. So there'll be lots of break time between sessions, which we think...

drives networking. We don't want people running from one room to the next and never having a chance to chat with each other. Also, we have a lot of sort of break time, coffee breaks, snacks, food in an area we call the park, which is where our sponsors exhibit. So that's sort of a co -mingling there. But in addition to that, we have...

Receptions on Sunday evening and Monday evening and Tuesday evening. I won't reveal exactly what they're going to be yet. Some of them are going to be surprises. And if you have a chance, if you're extending your stay a little bit or you have a little bit of time, you know, the golf courses in Palm Springs are are some of the best in the world. And of course, if you can get a group of people out with you, that's an excellent way to network.

But the bottom line with InfoNext is that we try to foster time with the experts, time with your fellow attendees, your colleagues, your sponsors. And I promise you that you will not feel rushed with that. There'll be plenty of time built in for networking.

Jim Merrifield (14:10.324)
Yeah, that's the power of this community, right? The networking, be able to share ideas. So as with previous year's conferences, there's always plenty of time to network. And I know this is the first year under the InfoNext brand. But again, as you mentioned throughout this conversation, it's not the first year of the conference. This is a well -established event. And it seems like it's even better. This year will be even better than previous years. I think each year.

anything gets better and better, right? For sure.

mike salvarezza (14:41.53)
That hopefully is the plan and I think it will be. We made some changes. If you're familiar with MER, you know that it was in Chicago every year. We moved it to Palm Springs. You know that it was in May of every year. We moved it up to April. So we have made some changes and I think they're changes for the better.

Jim Merrifield (14:46.004)
Yeah, no, that's.

Jim Merrifield (15:02.772)
Yeah, no, I couldn't agree. Couldn't agree more. So here's one other question. How are you incorporating feedback from previous conferences to improve this year's event? Because obviously you try to improve with every year. How do you incorporate feedback? Can you touch on that topic?

mike salvarezza (15:19.706)
Yeah, I can. The soft answer to that is, well, of course, we're always sort of self -improving. But how do we do that? Well, we do very much look at the feedback that every single session garners. And there are sessions that despite your best effort and your most...

The best effort and all the time you spend iterating with the potential speaker, they deliver a dud. It just happens. We don't like to always put the same speakers on the stage. We want new faces, new perspectives, new ideas. So whenever you get a new speaker, you're taking somewhat of a little bit of a chance and a risk.

So we look at the feedback that comes back to us from every single session analysis and really, really take that to heart. There are people that are quite candidly on my blacklist that I will not bring back to the conference because they didn't deliver what they said or they got terrible reviews. The other thing is we take the feedback from our sponsors very seriously. That may sound a little commercial, but our sponsors are

the lifeblood of the conference from the perspective of offering solutions, not from a monetary perspective, but from the perspective of the attendee at the conference that hears something in a session or is coming to the conference with a problem to solve, needs a solution. Those sponsors are really those providers of those solutions. And we want those...

solution providers to feel as if they had a successful conference. Again, not because they generated so much leads or got, you know, got contracts secured or whatever it is, but that they had good quality conversations with our attendees. And if we're having good quality conversations with the attendees, then everyone feels happy. So we have a process of talking with those sponsors after the conference to assess,

mike salvarezza (17:44.794)
how well those interactions happened. We also, I spent a lot of time in the off season, if you will, if you equate it to a sports season, in the off season, talking with the speakers themselves and sort of having conversations about not the quality of the venue per se, but how was their experience? What did they get out of the conference? Because these are the experts.

Jim Merrifield (17:54.452)
Thank you.

mike salvarezza (18:14.554)
And I want the experts to come away feeling like, wow, this was a quality event. And so all of that feedback gets incorporated into the planning for the next year. And on top of that, of course, is staying on top of the latest trends and issues. And that comes from a variety of means. But I hope I answered your question.

Jim Merrifield (18:44.02)
No, I think you did spot on. And thanks for sharing the ins and outs of the review process and feedback. And I think that was very, very helpful for our audience to hear about this conference. So I know we've talked a lot about InfoNext and the conference, but any final thoughts for the audience? It could have to do with InfoNext. It could have to do with the space that we're in right now with IG.

It could have to do. I know you're a baseball guy, so it could have have to do with upcoming spring training, whatever you want to share as a final thought.

mike salvarezza (19:20.794)
I am a baseball guy, but unfortunately I'm a New York Mets fan, so I always go into the season with sort of the pessimism of a New York Mets fan. So we'll put that aside for a moment. I think what I want to say, putting aside the InfoNext conference, I don't want to come across as just a shill for that conference, although I'm extremely proud of it and excited for what we're going to be doing next month.

I think information governance professionals today are at a real crossroads. And if you're a person who embraces challenge and embraces sort of the opportunity to make real impact, I think this crossroads is an exciting time for IG folks. And the reason I say that is that...

We've always been faced with new and emerging technologies. That's always that's a constant but I do really believe AI and and specifically the generative AI is a new flavor not a new flavor a new It's it's a step. It's a real step change and I Think that it has the potential to solve some of the problems that we've been struggling with

in the IG world for a very long time. It presents challenges, but I really think that the potential is there to once and for all solve some of the issues that we've struggled with. I also believe that some of the constructs that we have been using, especially in the world of records management, need to change to work in the future.

I think we need new perspectives and new models, new ways of doing things. I think AI is going to drive some of that. And I think we're at a point in time where forward -looking, ambitious IG professionals have the opportunity to change IG for the better. And that's what really excites me.

mike salvarezza (21:47.098)
I think that this is not a business as usual time period. I think we are really in a time of change and we shouldn't be scared of it. I think we should be excited by it. I think we should embrace it. Conferences like the InfoNext conference, I think, have always been forward -looking. One of the hallmarks of MER, now InfoNext, is that it's an over -the -horizon looking conference.

We really try to anticipate what's coming down the road. When I anticipate what's coming down the road now, I'm really excited. And that's kind of what I would say.

Jim Merrifield (22:28.436)
Yeah, you got me excited. You know, those are some powerful words there. We sure do live in exciting times. And for us as IG professionals, we have, I think, a bright future. But we've got to embrace change, right, like any other technology in our space. So again, Mike, thanks so much for spending some time with us talking about InfoNext and even just the information governance space in general. I look forward to seeing you.

mike salvarezza (22:29.914)
haha

Jim Merrifield (22:57.68)
in Palm Springs and the rest of the ARMA community at the InfoNext conference. Thank you everyone for attending today's episode of the InfoGov Hot Seat. Of course, please visit our website, infogovhotseat .com to view our latest episodes. If you'd like to be on the hot seat like Mike here, all you have to do is submit your information through our website. And thank you very much and enjoy the rest of your day.