AIIM 2024 INDUSTRY WATCH

IMAGE OF

STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
PRACTICE

In Partnership with
 Table of Contents

Industry Underwriters..........................................................................3 4.4 State Of Automation Maturity.......................................................................... 28

Partners..............................................................................................4 4.5 Opportunities for Process-specific Automation.............................................. 30
4.6 Questionable AI Readiness For Organizations................................................ 31
1. Executive Summary.........................................................................6
4.7 Data Quality Remains Significant Obstacle to AI Adoption............................ 33
1.1 Dawn of the Information Leader...................................................................... 6
4.8 Interoperability Poses Barrier for AI and Information Management............. 35
1.2 Information Management: A Universal Priority.............................................. 7
4.9 Opportunities for AI Applied to Information Management............................ 36
1.3 The Evolving Information Management Tech Stack:
4.10 Conclusion....................................................................................................... 37
Opportunities and Challenges......................................................................... 7
5. Appendix A: About this Research.......................................................39
2. Dawn Of The Information Leader.......................................................9
5.1 Research Methodology..................................................................................... 39
2.1 Information management Becomes a crucial skill......................................... 10
5.2 Using this Research.......................................................................................... 39
2.2 The Need for A Multifaceted Skill Set............................................................... 10
2.3 Rise of the Information Leader: Seniority and Influence Expand.................. 12 6. Appendix B: Respondent Demographics.............................................41
2.4 Diversification of information management job Titles.................................. 13 6.1 Respondents by responsibilties....................................................................... 41
2.5 The Rising Value of Information Management Expertise: 6.2 Respondents by Industry.................................................................................. 41
Salaries Reflect Evolving Expertise................................................................. 14 6.3 Respondents by Geographic Region................................................................ 42
2.6 Conclusion......................................................................................................... 15 6.4 Respondents by Organization Size (Number of Employees).......................... 42
3. Information Management: A Universal Priority Across 6.5 Respondents by Organization Size (Annual Revenue).................................... 43
Industries and Organization Sizes.....................................................17 6.6 Respondents by Department........................................................................... 44
3.1 Adoption Surges Across Industries, Irrespective of Revenue 6.7 Diversity of Respondents ................................................................................. 45
or Workforce Size.............................................................................................. 17
Thank You AIIM Trade Members.............................................................47
3.2 Organizations Invest in Information Management........................................ 19
Leadership Council Members ................................................................................ 47
3.3 Customized Roles and Practitioner-Driven Approaches
Take Center Stage............................................................................................ 20 Preferred Provider Members ................................................................................. 48
3.4 A Shortage Of Internal Information Management Talent.............................. 20 Thank You to Our Sponsors...................................................................50
3.5 Lack of Key AI Era Skills Impacts Organizational Effectiveness..................... 22
3.6 Conclusion......................................................................................................... 24 About Colligo.......................................................................................50

4. Information Management Technology: About Microsoft...................................................................................51

Tools of the Practitioner..................................................................26 About OpenText...................................................................................52
4.1 The Technology................................................................................................. 26
4.2 The Expanding Information Management Technology Stack........................ 26 About AIIM..........................................................................................53
4.3 Use of Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Machine Learning
in Support of Information Management Increases........................................ 27

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 2
 Industry Underwriters

AIIM’s ability to deliver high-quality research is made

possible by the industry partners who support and
underwrite our efforts.

Colligo Microsoft
300-1090 Homer Street One Microsoft Way
Vancouver, BC V6B 2W9 Redmond,WA 98052
Canada United States
[email protected] www.microsoft.com
www.colligo.com

OpenText
275 Frank Tompa Dr.
Waterloo, ON N2L 0A1
Canada
www.opentext.com

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 3
 Partners

This survey was produced in conjunction with DAMA International.

DAMA INTERNATIONAL
2512 East Evergreen Blvd #1023
Vancouver, WA 98661-4323
[email protected]
www.dama.org

This survey was supported by RIMPA-Global.

Records and Information Management

Practitioners Alliance - Global
1/43 Township Drive,
Burleigh Heads Qld 4220
1800 242 611
[email protected]
www.rimpa.com.au

AIIM is grateful for their contributions and support of this research.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 4
STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Executive
Summary

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 5
1. Executive Summary

As a society, we are arguably amid a renaissance of technological

advancement, driven by the progress sparked by generative AI. Yet, in
1.1 DAWN OF THE INFORMATION LEADER
this period of technical innovation, it’s key to remember that the success
of technology is dependent on humans. AI is successful because it is The 2024 Industry Watch: State of the Practice Report reveals the
developed and managed with human ingenuity, ethics, and context emergence of the Information Leader, a critical role in navigating
setting. For 15 years, AIIM has published regular market research on the the complex landscape of unstructured data management. These
state of the information management industry via its Industry Watch professionals, armed with a diverse skill set and strategic vision, are
series. This year, we wanted to focus on the human drivers behind increasingly recognized as influential figures within organizations, as
industry evolution. In this report, we specifically look at information evidenced by their rising seniority, decision-making authority, and
management practitioners who are responsible for unstructured data compensation.
to better understand the current and future states of the information
management industry.

This report is designed to assess the current state of the information UNSTRUCTURED DATA
management industry and practice. For readers, this report provides There are two types of data – structured and unstructured.
an assessment of the current state of the information management Structured data is in a tabular format, like a database. Unstructured
industry, but also guidance on how to improve unstructured data data is nontabular and is data without a predefined data model.
management within your own organization. It goes by many names, like dark data, ugly data, or content. It’s
the documents, invoices, contracts, images, videos, text messages,
This report explores the practice and practitioner of information social posts, and more.
management by highlighting three key areas:
At AIIM, we simply call that unstructured data “information.”
1. The people who practice information management; Importantly, information is vital for success with artificial
intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. Think about
2. organizational perception of information management generative AI applications, like ChatGPT, that use documents and
as a practice; and text scaped from the internet.

3. the technology organizations and practitioners are High-quality unstructured data is vital to success with artificial
using to advance information management. intelligence (AI) and automation because it makes up a significant
portion of all data generated; provides unique insights; and
contributes to growth of large datasets required for AI models.

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 1.2 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: A UNIVERSAL PRIORITY

This report also highlights the universal prioritization of information

management across industries and organization sizes. No longer
confined to large, regulated entities, effective information
management has become a crucial driver of success for businesses
of all types and scales. Key motivators for investing in this practice
include compliance and risk mitigation, digital transformation, and
cost and productivity optimization. Organizations are actively seeking
ways to integrate and customize information management within their INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
unique structures and designs. Information management is the management of
unstructured data.
This report is focused on the intelligent information management
industry, which is a systematic approach to unstructured data
1.3 THE EVOLVING INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TECH
STACK: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES management that integrates people, processes, information,
and technology to achieve better business outcomes. Information
management practitioners manage and leverage information
Finally, this report sheds light on the evolving technology stack
throughout its lifecycle, from the point of creation to disposal.
employed by information management practitioners. As the toolkit
expands, the adoption of AI and automation technologies is on the rise, Our survey results show that the importance of information
with workflow and process automation, generative AI, and machine management or unstructured data management will continue to
learning emerging as the most sought-after solutions. However, there be incredibly important within organizations. Seventy-two percent
are significant challenges associated with AI implementation, such as (72%) of respondents agreed that information management will
become more important over the next 12 months (N=282).
poor data quality and lack of interoperability between systems.

This year’s report underscores the vital role of information leaders

in driving organizational success, the universal prioritization
of information management, and the ongoing evolution of the
technology stack. Seventy-two percent (72%) of respondents agreed
that information management will become more important in the
next twelve months. As businesses navigate the challenges and
opportunities presented by unstructured data, investing in skilled
professionals and robust information management practices will
be essential for achieving strategic objectives and maintaining a
competitive edge.

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STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Dawn of The
Information
Leader

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2. Dawn Of The Information Leader

The best way to understand the industry is by looking at the people who The respondents of this survey are largely practitioners in information
make the industry possible. Who is practicing information management? management. However, as we will see in the next section, respondents
Who is taking responsibility for managing and, more importantly, are diverse and work in a variety of industries, departments, and
leveraging the asset that is unstructured data within organizations? organizations of all sizes.

From this year’s data, it’s clear that the scope of responsibilities of
information management practitioners is increasing as well as their
level of responsibility within organizations. The practitioner is becoming
increasingly hard to define and identify by traditional job titles, like
Information Manager, Information Governance Manager, or Records
Manager.

What’s also clear is that traditional information management

professionals are no longer the only ones practicing information
management and the responsibilities of information management are
no longer allocated to specific, niche roles, organizations of a certain
size, or specific industries.

Information management practices are evolving beyond a single

profession as the practice of information management becomes a key
responsibility for knowledge workers.

The data indicates a new breed of information management practitioner

has emerged – the Information Leader.

Information Leaders are practitioners who are leading the management

and use of unstructured data. More than just practitioners of
information management, these individuals possess the skillset to
understand, govern, and use invaluable unstructured data as well as
the ability to effectively guide or lead change. They are not defined
by job titles or traditional definitions of professions in information
management, but rather by their skillsets and responsibilities within
their organizations.

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 2.1 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT BECOMES
A CRUCIAL SKILL

In the age of AI, information management has become a crucial skill

for most knowledge workers. Information literacy and data literacy
are essentially interchangeable concepts, as both involve the ability
to collect, analyze, interpret, and manage data effectively.

The importance of these skills is increasingly recognized by business

leaders, with 90% of them citing data literacy as a key factor in
company success, according to Harvard Business Review1.

As the volume of data increases and technology stacks expand,

information management will become a critical responsibility for a
growing number of knowledge workers. Ultimately, it is essential for
everyone to develop information literacy and become Information
Leaders.

AIIM Chairman 2023-2024 Karen Hobert summarized this evolution

of the role when she said, “information management is not a role –
it’s a need.”

2.2 THE NEED FOR A MULTIFACETED SKILL SET

Last year, AIIM interviewed an information and records management

lead for a UK government agency. When discussing how AI is changing
the role of information managers, who shared that modern information
managers need new skillsets on top of old skillsets. They are still
managing paper records, but now also automation, AI, intelligent
document processing, and more.

The lines are blurring between information management and

information technology. Information management practitioners are
being asked to provide technical application training and assist with AI
initiatives in addition to information governance.
1
Sabar, R. (2021) How data literate is your company?, Harvard Business Review. Available at:
https://hbr.org/2021/08/how-data-literate-is-your-company (Accessed: 06 June 2024).
AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 10
The role of an information management practitioner today requires a to extremely involved. Less emphasized skills include Software
diverse range of skills and expertise across multiple domains. The data Development and Vendor Management, with lower levels of
suggests that the most critical skills for this position include: involvement.
1. Information Lifecycle Management: A significant majority
(73.24%) of professionals are very or extremely involved in this
area, highlighting its importance in the field.
2. Information Governance: 66.85% of professionals are very or
extremely involved in this practice, indicating its centrality to
the role.
3. Data Management: Over half (57.39%) of the professionals are
very or extremely involved in data management, showcasing
its significance.
4. Data Governance: 54.26% of professionals are very or
extremely involved in this area, reflecting its growing
importance in the industry.
5. Content Classification: 53.28% of professionals are very or
extremely involved in this practice, suggesting its relevance to
the role.

Other notable skills that are moderately to highly relevant include:

• Metadata/Taxonomy Development and Management
• Retention Schedule Development
• Physical Records Management and Storage Solutions
• Policy Development
• Change Management
• Business Process Management
• Information Architecture
• Security/Data Privacy
• Employee Information Management Training and Awareness

Skills such as Project Management, Business Analysis, Audit and Figure 1. Respondent level of involvement in various information
Compliance Monitoring and Reporting, and Information Security management practices. Darker shaded areas reflect higher levels of
Strategy and administration are also relevant, with moderate involvement. (N=359).
involvement from professionals. Emerging areas like AI Governance
are gaining traction, with 41.48% of professionals being moderately

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 2.3 RISE OF THE INFORMATION LEADER:
SENIORITY AND INFLUENCE EXPAND

As information management practitioner roles expand, it’s interesting

to note their level of involvement in system selections for information
management systems.

Information management practitioners are often involved in purchasing

decisions for systems and applications in their organizations. The data
shows that 64.9% of professionals have either shared involvement as
part of an evaluation team or serve as the primary decision-maker. Over
half (51.53%) are part of a collaborative evaluation team, while 10.58%
have final approval authority. Only 11.14% reported no involvement,
and 23.96% have light involvement without decision-making authority.
This highlights the significant role these practitioners play in influencing
and shaping the selection of critical tools for effective information
management within their companies.

What is your typical level of involvement in the decision

making process when purchasing information management
systems or applications for your organizations?

Figure 2. Respondents level of involvement in purchasing

decision for information management systems (N=359).

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 Comparing the seniority of information management Which best describes your current position/role
practitioners between 2023 and 2024 within your organization?

Figure 3. Level of seniority of respondents (N=336)

.
Comparing the seniority of information management practitioners 2.4 DIVERSIFICATION
JOB TITLES
OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
between 2023 and 2024 reveals a notable shift towards higher-
level positions. In 2023, 49% held mid-level executive roles, 39%
were in non-managerial staff positions, and only 7% were senior Today, information management practitioners work in a variety of
executives. However, the 2024 data shows a significant increase in departments, hold a range of different job titles, and operate at various
senior executives (14.88%) and mid-level executives (54.16%), while levels of seniority. Indeed, without the title of “Information Manager” or
non-managerial positions decreased to 30.95%. This trend highlights “Record Manager”, it is becoming challenging to discern if someone is an
the growing recognition of information management’s strategic information management professional.
importance and the elevation of its practitioners to roles with greater Only 41% of respondents hold titles associated with traditional
decision-making authority, underscoring the rising prominence of information management professionals, such as Records Manager,
information management professionals within organizations. Information Governance Manager, and Information Manager. Titles
such as IT Director (7%), Chief Data Officer (4%), Information Analyst
(4%), and Project Manager (4%) were also popular. Notably, 19% of
respondents said, “None of the above”.

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Which title best describes your current role? 2.5 THE RISING VALUE OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
EXPERTISE: SALARIES REFLECT EVOLVING EXPERTISE
(Please select one.) N=(3

The annual salary for information management practitioners is reflective

of the breadth of skills, decision-making authority, and seniority
required for information leaders. Fifty-one (51%) of respondents earn
above $100,000 annually. The compensation range for information
management practitioners is higher than the average salary of
knowledge workers in the United States, which are generally in the
range of $70,000-90,000 per year. With an above average annual salary,
information management is a lucrative profession that attracts wages
that reflect the specific, advanced skillset required to effectively manage
unstructured data.

While a career in information management is worthwhile, there is still

a problem with the aging population. The median age of information
management practitioners continues to rise. Seventy-six (76%) of
respondents are over the age of 45.

Which compensation range best represents your individual

gross annual salary, including bonuses and commissions if
applicable? (Please select one.)
Figure 4. Titles of respondents.

Figure 5. Respondent Compensation Range (N=334).

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 It has created opportunities for increased influence, collaboration
2.6 CONCLUSION and interdisciplinary work. When information managers are
embedded in other teams or working on cross-departmental
projects, they can curate a more successful information
As organizations navigate the AI era, data and information is
management program by leveraging their deeper understanding of
a vital part of enterprise success. This year’s report shows the
line of business needs, ethical data and information practices and
increasing prioritization of high quality and accessible data
desired business outcomes. It has also made the profession more
and information, which is only possible through the practice of
accessible by introducing the practice of information management
information management. More organizations are investing in
to professionals in other fields. This diversity of perspectives can
information management. Underscored by the expertise and
spark innovation and new processes for managing information
skills of information management practitioners, these positions
alongside an appreciation of the deep and complex responsibility for
are increasingly senior, play a role in key strategic decisions and
information trust, transparency and stewardship.
competitive advantage.

Information management as a practice is becoming more

prevalent, but the practitioner is becoming harder to define by
any singular job title or job skill analysis. We are finding that
information management as a practice is becoming a part of
diverse roles across the organization alongside information Anne Cornish
management professionals taking on more and more diverse CEO, RIMPA Global
responsibilities within their organizations. Contemporary
information management professionals have capabilities that
frequently blur the lines of technology, information, literacy, ethics,
crisis management and leadership.

While the growth of information management and expansion of

responsibilities makes it challenging to define the professional of
today, this trends also presents opportunities.

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STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Information
Management:
A Universal
Priority Across
Industries and
Organization
Sizes

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 Information Management:
3. A Universal Priority Across
Industries and Organization Sizes

The role and responsibilities of the practitioner are defined by how

their organization perceives the value of information and information
management as a practice. In this year’s survey, respondents were
asked about their information management programs to assess
the level of investment organizations are making into unstructured
data management. The results show that investment in information
management is surging across industries and organizations of all sizes.

3.1 ADOPTION SURGES ACROSS INDUSTRIES,

IRRESPECTIVE OF REVENUE OR WORKFORCE SIZE

Information management is expanding beyond large organizations in

regulated industries. The results from this year’s survey demonstrate
this increasing diversity. The value of information management goes
beyond compliance and regulation. Harnessing unstructured data
leads to better decision making, better customer experiences, and
better business outcomes.

Information management practitioners still tend to work in highly-

regulated industries, though. Unsurprisingly, more heavily regulated
industries have the largest concentration of individuals who work
either directly or indirectly in information management. Government
and Public Services emerges as the largest segment at 25%, Banking
and Finance represents 8%, Education represents 7% each. Energy,
Oil & Gas, and Mining collectively account for 5%, as do Charity
and Non-Profit organizations, while Healthcare represents 4%
of respondents. Yet, Figure 2. Respondents by industry. (N=405)
demonstrates the breadth of cross-industry adoption of information
management practices.

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 What option best describes your organization’s Approximatley how many total employees work at your
primary industry? organization across all branches?

Figure 7. Number of total employees at respondents’ organizations. (N=403)

Similarly, the reported total organizational annual 2023 revenue

indicates that organizational size is no longer a predictor of which
organizations are interested in information management.

What was your organization’s approximate

total revenue last year?
Figure 6. Respondents by industry. (N=405)

What’s notable in this year’s report is the increase in respondents

from small and mid-size organizations. As the cost of information
management systems continues to decrease and the importance of
unstructured data management to achieving strategic goals increases,
it’s clear that organizations of all sizes see the benefit in retaining
information management practitioners.

Figure 8. The total organizational revenue from 2023. (N=371).

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 What are the top three reasons your organization invests in
3.2 ORGANIZATIONS
MANAGEMENT
INVEST IN INFORMATION
information management? (Please select three.)

As a sign of increasing economic pressures and rising costs,

the reasons behind investing in and prioritizing information
management have shifted since 2023.

In 2023, AIIM found that the top three organizational goals related
to information management were compliance (30%); customer
service (16%); and costs and productivity (11%). In this years’ survey,
respondents were asked more directly to provide input on the top
three reasons their organization invests in information management.

The top three most popular reasons for investing in information

management in 2024 included Compliance & Risk (70%); Digital
Transformation (38%); and Costs and Productivity (37%). All three
areas, even Digital Transformation, are about reducing risks and
costs. This increased emphasis could be due to a larger percentage
of information management practitioners responding to this year’s
survey, but also could reflect the economic slowdown of the past
year and a desire amongst organizations to avoid costly violations. Figure 9. Top three reasons for organizations investing in information
Interestingly, Customer Service moved down to the fifth most management (N=265).
prevalent reason behind investment at 25%. Information Leaders
Reasons for investing change based on perspectives. AIIM has spoken
can use these reasons or drivers to gain buy-in and budgetary
with many solution providers and system integrators in the past year
support for new projects and information management programs
who report that sales are not being made by focusing on compliance
within their organizations.
and risk, but instead focusing on business outcomes.

Consultants and Suppliers of Information Management Software or

Services were excluded from survey results, but their response to this
question was interesting because they put less weight on compliance
& Risk (52%) while it was still the top cited reason for investment.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of solution providers who responded to
the survey also selected Competitive advantage and 35% selected
Costs & Productivity as primary reasons for investing in information
management.

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 Organizations are customizing how and where information
3.3 CUSTOMIZED ROLES AND PRACTITIONER-DRIVEN
APPROACHES TAKE CENTER STAGE management practitioners integrate with the larger enterprise based
on specific needs.
Within organizations, what does information management as a practice When examining how information management fits in organization
look like? Where do information management practitioners work and design in less regulated industries, such as Arts, Retail, and
contribute value within the organization? Manufacturing, there is a notable drop in the use of traditional
Most information management practitioners still work in Information titles (26.97%) as well as greater diversity in the departments where
Technology (16%) or Information Management/Records Management/ information practitioners work. Within less regulated industries,
Information Governance (54%) departments. This is comparable to practitioners could be found primarily working in Information
previous year’s findings. Yet, you will also find information management Management departments (33%), IT (24%), and Legal (10%).
practitioners in Legal (6%), Administration (6%), and other departments. While the role of the professional has becoming increasingly harder
Amongst the 9% percent of respondents who selected “Other”, they to define, it’s clear that the practice and importance of information
specified working in departments like Strategy, Transformation, Data management is expanding across industries and organizations.
Analysis, and Research.

Which department do you currently work within at your

3.4 AMANAGEMENT
SHORTAGE OF INTERNAL INFORMATION
TALENT
organization?

Information management will become increasingly important over the

next twelve months. Growth in data volume, expanding technology
stacks, and the increasing need for unstructured data management is
becoming more pronounced as organizations increase adoption of AI
and automation. Yet, the results of the survey indicate there may be
pronounced talent shortage of information management practitioners
in the next few years due to an aging population and limited full-time
staff dedicated to information management.

Figure 10. Departments where respondents work. (N=361).

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The population of information management professionals is How many full-time employees are dedicated to information
aging with nearly 76% of respondents above the age of 44. management roles and responsibilities at your organization?

Figure 12. Number of full-time employees dedicated to information

management (N=263).

Figure 11. Age range of respondents (N=335).

Most organizations (53%) have less than 9 employees dedicated to

information management within their organizations. Five percent
(5%) of organizations have no full-time employees dedicated to
information management.

While most knowledge workers should possess information

management skills, organizations can better leverage their
unstructured data with Information Leaders to champion and lead
information management efforts. Organizations should assess
their internal skillsets and identify the employees who can lead
information management programs.

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 How would you rate these internal skill
3.5 LACK OF KEY AI ERA SKILLS IMPACTS
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS sets in your organization?

In addition to a talent shortage, organizations may also be facing a

gap in required skillsets. Respondents were asked to rate the internal
information management skillsets in their organization. The weakest
areas where respondents tended to feel that their organization
mainly had no proficiency or beginner level proficiency were in
artificial governance; process and workflow design; and records
management.

What is concerning about this lack of proficiency is most

organization are planning investments and implementation in
generative AI; Workflow and process automation solutions; and
Records Management Solutions in the next 1-3 years. Training can
be accomplished during software implementation, but generally
it’s a best practice to have internal skillsets to provide ongoing,
operational support for a technology platform before making a
significant investment. This helps ensure the sustainability of the
product within an organization. Figure 13. Internal skillsets in organizations (N=255).

Skill gaps impact effectiveness across different information

management initiatives withing organizations.

The areas where organizations are least effective are generative AI

use and governance, knowledge management, extracting data and
intelligence from information, long-term information preservation,
and workflow and process automation. Most employees lack advanced
skills in using and governing generative AI, according to a survey. Only
31% of respondents felt their organization had more than beginner-
level proficiency in these areas. Knowledge management also shows
a significant lack of proficiency, with 10.76% of organizations having
no proficiency and 32.27% at the beginner level. The other mentioned
areas have around 10-13% of organizations with no proficiency and a
significant portion at the beginner level.

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On the other hand, areas like information security and privacy, How would you grade the effectiveness of your
information access and use, creating and capturing information, organizational information management initiatives
and risk management show higher levels of proficiency, with a in the following areas?
larger percentage of organizations at the intermediate, advanced,
and expert levels. The data suggests that organizations need to
invest in training and development to enhance their information
management capabilities.

Investment in particular building particular skillsets should follow

strategic goals. For example, if an organization is intentionally
investing in adopting generative AI, employees need training in
generative AI use and governance, but also the fundamental skills
that support successful AI programs. These include the ability to
manage information throughout its lifecycle; extracting data and
intelligence from information; and data/information findability
and discovery. When these skillsets are lacking, employees
don’t have the knowledge to find information and data to train
models. Employees may also be unable to provide appropriate AI
governance and responsibly manage AI input and output. They may
also lack the literacy to be able to interpret information and use it
to make better decisions.

Figure 14. Organizational effectiveness in information management

initiatives (N=256).

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 As you read this research, I encourage you to evaluate your own
3.6 CONCLUSION information management program. How does your program compare
to the average organization? Do you have the appropriate number of
At AIIM, we have spent the past year identifying and talking about staff to adequately manage the increasing volume of data within your
orthodox beliefs, or negative assumptions we hold about the world organization? Does your staff have sufficient skills and knowledge to
around us. This year’s report calls into question an orthodox belief manage and leverage unstructured data to advance your strategic
held by the information management industry: that information goals? Do you have Information Leaders within your organization who
management systems and programs are only accessible to large can guide AI and automation strategies and lead your information
organizations with substantial resources. management programs?

The reality is that information management systems and technologies

have become more affordable and accessible to organizations of all
sizes, across industries. We have moved past the days of monolithic
electronic content management (ECM) systems operated by a select few
and instead find customized, diverse technology stacks and information
management programs that are tailored to each specific organization. Tori Miller Liu, CIP
President & CEO
Organizations are either riding or trying to catch the AI wave. Success
Association for Intelligent
with AI is dependent on the ecosystem of people, processes, and data Information Management
within an organization. AI adoption cannot happen in isolation. If your
organization lacks the ability to manage and leverage unstructured
data to use for AI and manage the output of AI, you are missing the
foundation of your AI program.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 24
STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Information
Management
Technology: Tools
of the Practitioner

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 25
 Information Management
4. Technology: Tools of the
Practitioner

In contrast, the least popular systems currently employed are

4.1 THE TECHNOLOGY Enterprise Search (67% no plan to use); Digital Asset Management
(59% no plan to use); and Document Capture/Intelligent Document
What are the tools in use by today’s information practitioner? The Processing (57% no plan to use). It could be argued that all three
information management practitioner of today is managing or types of systems may be less popular because they solve very specific
working with an ever-growing stack of information management problems. For example, a graphic design firm or magazine publisher
technology systems and data volume. They are also working to enable may have need for a large repository of multimedia and, thus, require
artificial intelligence (AI) and automation within the enterprise. This a Digital Asset Management system, but for other organizations secure
section highlights both the opportunities and challenges information files sharing may suffice as a means to manage multimedia.
leaders face with today’s information management technology and Respondents also indicated which systems their organization plans
data. to use withing 12 months or 13+ months. The most popular system
for future use is generative AI with 36% of respondents sating their
organization would use generative AI as an information tool in the
4.2 THE EXPANDING INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGY STACK
next 12 months or 13+ months. This could mean that within two to
three years, up to 81% of organizations may be using generative AI for
information management.
Information management systems are any software application that
is used to manage unstructured data. AIIM has been tracking the size Next, 26% of respondents said their organization plans to use a
of the information management technology stack since 2013. The Workflow and Process Automation solution. Twenty-six (26%) of
number of organizations using 7-10 system has risen from 3.6% in respondents plan to use a Records Management solution in the next 12
2013 to 6.2% in 2018, and 14.42% in 2023 — approximately doubling months or 13 or more months. These would be the system categories
every five years. In the results of our 2024 survey, we found that an that may experience growth in revenue in the next one to three years
average of approximately 10.39 information management systems are and are three systems organizations should consider for use when
used per organization. evaluating their information management tech stack.

When respondents were asked which information management tools

their organization uses or plans to use, the results revealed that
currently the most popular information management systems are
Secure File Sharing (90% currently use); Collaboration Tools (88%
in use); and Employee Intranet (83%). The move to remote work
accelerated adoption of systems in these categories.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 26
Which information management tools do you use (or plan to USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AUTOMATION
use) within your organization? 4.3 AND MACHINE LEARNING IN SUPPORT OF
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT INCREASES

Information management systems employe a variety of technologies to

better manage content and processes. Respondents were asked about
which technologies their organizations use to support information
management. Usage of most technologies remained relatively the
same compared to 2023 results. Notably, there significant jumps in
usage of AI and automation technologies.

Usage of workflow and process automation increased by a whopping

28% from 2023 to 2024. Less dramatic but still significant, usage of
generative AI increased by 5% and machine learning increased by 8%
in the same time period. Low/No-code Development usage increased
by 6% and usage of data analytics increased by 5%.

The five most prevalent technologies in use today are Document/Data

encryption (63%); Data Analytics (61%); Optical Character Recognition
(60%); Content/data migration (52%); and Workflow and Process
Automation (50%).

Looking ahead, respondents also indicated which technologies

their organization plans to use to support information management
within 12 months or more. These are the top five technologies your
organization should consider for future use based on the data:

1. Generative AI (51% plan to use within 12 or more months)

2. Metadata Enrichment (42% plan to use within 12 or more
months)
3. Machine Learning (16% plan to use within 12 or more months)
Figure 15. Information Management Systems currently
in use within respondents’ organizations (N=283). 4. Content Analytics (34% plan to use within 12 or more months)
5. Workflow and Process Automation (33% plan to use within 12
or more months)

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 27
Which of the following technologies does your organization
use to support information management? 4.4 STATE OF AUTOMATION MATURITY

Workflow and process automation is one of the most effective

information management technologies an information management
practitioner and organization can use. AIIM defines workflow and
process automation as the use of technology to automate and
streamline business processes and workflows. This involves designing,
executing, and automating processes that involve tasks, information,
and people, with the goal of improving efficiency, accuracy, and
productivity.

Workflow and process automation is a key component of digital

transformation initiatives and is closely tied to other information
management practices, such as document management, content
management, and data governance.

While the term “digital transformation” may not be as prevalent in

discussions as it once was, this does not necessarily indicate that
organizations have completed their digital transformation journey. The
survey results reveal that there is still significant room for growth in
automation within organizations.
Figure 16. Organization use of information management technologies
(N=262). The survey findings suggest that although companies may have
achieved a paperless environment, the level of automation within
most organizations remains at a basic level. Only 33% of respondents
reported having integrated systems or workflow and process
automation in their team or department. Only 3% of respondents
reported their team or department having attained workflow and
process automation where advanced automation via Robotic Process
Automation (RPA), and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)
technologies.

To improve operational efficiency, organizations should invest in

advancing automation, moving beyond manual processes and basic
desktop tool automation to more advanced solutions such as integrated
systems and workflow and process automation.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 28
 What is the current level of process automation within your The areas with the most potential for automation, based on
team or department? (Please select the one response that their high percentages of manual processes, are Procurement &
best applies.) Supply Chain (62.20%), Legal - Contracts Management (58.69%),
and Operations - Digital Mailroom (68.97%). These departments
have a significant proportion of entirely manual or mostly manual
processes, presenting substantial opportunities for organizations
to streamline operations and boost efficiency through the
implementation of automation technologies. By focusing on these
areas and investing in automation solutions, companies can unlock
the potential for increased productivity, cost savings, and improved
overall business performance.

Figure 17. Automation maturity within organizations (N=238).

Another way to assess organizational maturity in automation is the level

of automation of core business processes.

The data reveals that the areas with the highest levels of automation,
combining both partial and highly automated processes, are Finance
- Accounts Payable (59.73%), HR - Employee Onboarding & File
Management (51.79%), and Product & Service Delivery (46.37%). These
departments have successfully implemented automation technologies,
reducing the need for manual intervention in a significant portion of
their processes. Content Management (45.12%) and Customer Service
& Support (48.85%) also show promising levels of automation, with a
substantial percentage of their processes being either partially or highly
automated.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 29
 Level of automation for core
business processes 4.5 OPPORTUNITIES
AUTOMATION
FOR PROCESS -SPECIFIC

Where do we find automation in use within organizations? When asked

which process-specific automation are used or plan to be used within
their organizations, respondents identified three top areas for process-
specific automation:
1. Accounts Payable Automation: 54.66% of respondents are
already using this type of automation, with an additional 17.81%
planning to implement it within the next 12 months or beyond.
2. Human Resources (HR) Process Automation: 47.79% of
respondents currently use HR process automation, and another
21.69% plan to adopt it within the next 12 months or later.
3. IT and DevOps Automation: 42.15% of respondents have
implemented IT and DevOps automation, with an additional
22.31% planning to use it in the future.
These three areas stand out as the most widely adopted and sought-
after process-specific automation solutions, highlighting the focus on
streamlining back-office functions, improving employee experience,
and enhancing IT operations efficiency.
Figure 18. Level of automation of core business processes (N=231). Based on the total planned adoption percentages, the top three areas
that will likely experience the most growth in the future are:
1. Contract Management Automation (30.96%)
2. Customer Service Automation (25.31%)
3. Financial Reporting and Consolidation Automation (23.33%)
These areas show the highest combined percentages for planned
adoption within the next 12 months and beyond, indicating a strong
interest in automating contract management, customer service, and
financial reporting processes in the near future.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 30
 Which process-specific automation do you use
4.6 QUESTIONABLE AI READINESS FOR ORGANIZATIONS
(or plan to use) within your organization?

Automation is greatly enhanced by the incorporation of artificial

intelligence (AI), which adds intelligent data processing, decision
automation, and the ability to automate repetitive tasks. This
combination of automation and AI has the potential to significantly
improve productivity across various industries.

The question remains, though: how prepared are organizations to

integrate AI into their existing systems and workflows?

Adopting AI in the enterprise requires careful planning, investment

in infrastructure, and a clear understanding of the technology’s
capabilities and limitations. As businesses navigate this new
landscape, they must assess their readiness to embrace AI and
develop strategies to successfully harness its power for maximum
benefit.
Figure 19. Process-specific automation in use (N=261).
The first step towards readiness with any emerging technology is
awareness. Promisingly, 51% of respondents said their organization is
Automating work and empowering a new workforce has become a familiar with AI capabilities that could be applied within information
competitive advantage for organizations in today’s digital landscape. By management.
implementing automation, companies can create operational efficiency,
increase productivity, and remove digital friction, allowing employees to
focus on tasks that require uniquely human skills.
DIGITAL FRICTION
When considering what to automate, organizations should prioritize
high-value, repetitive tasks that can be streamlined through technology. Digital friction refers to the barriers or inefficiencies faced during a
Additionally, identifying known, high-quality datasets and data stakeholder’s digital experience.
repositories with available integrations is crucial for successful Removing digital friction can have significant financial impact on
automation implementation. the organization. In OpenText’s 2023 research on the topic, 58% of
respondents indicated they had lost business opportunities due to lack
By strategically automating the right processes and leveraging reliable of timely access to data while 82% reported that technology is to blame
data sources, businesses can unlock the full potential of their workforce for delays and missed deadlines.
and gain a significant edge over their competitors.
Source: OpenText report Digital Friction Holds Back Today’s Businesses

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 31
 How familiar is your organization with AI capabilities that Please indicate the level of AI preparedness
could be applied within information management? for each group below.

Figure 21. Level of preparedness for individuals, teams,

and organizations (N=234).

Two major barriers for preparedness of AI, usage to enhance information

Figure 20. Level of familiarity with AI capabilities for information management at an enterprise-level, are data quality and lack of
management processes (N=237). interoperability.

Awareness isn’t enough to feel prepared to tackle a new technology.

Respondents were asked to assess their personal preparedness to
take advantage of AI capabilities as well as the preparedness of their
team and organization. What is interesting about the responses is
that the perception of preparedness decreases from individual, to
team, to organization. 57% of respondents feel very prepared or
somewhat prepared for AI, but only 44% felt the same about their
team; and only 35% felt the same about their organizations.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 32
 The survey data reveals that organizations face a myriad of data
4.7 DATA QUALITY REMAINS SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLE
TO AI ADOPTION quality issues, hindering their ability to effectively utilize their data
assets. The most prevalent problem is siloed or fragmented data
Data quality is a significant hurdle for organizations looking sources (76.42%), which can lead to inconsistencies, duplication, and
to implement artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning difficulty in accessing and integrating data across the enterprise.
applications. The majority of respondents (77%) rated their Closely following this issue is the presence of duplicate, redundant,
organizational data as either average, poor, or very poor in terms of or ROT (redundant, obsolete, or trivial) data (75.98%), which not
quality and readiness for AI. This finding aligns with AvePoint’s 2024 only consumes valuable storage space but also compromises data
research2, which revealed that although 80% of organizations believed integrity and decision-making processes.
their data was AI-ready, nearly every organization surveyed (95%)
faced data challenges during AI implementation, with over half (52%) Lack of data standardization (69.43%) and missing or incomplete
encountering issues related to internal data quality and organization. data (68.56%) are also significant concerns, as they can result in
inconsistent data formats (63.32%) and inaccurate data (44.10%).
How would you rate the overall quality and readiness of your
organization’s data for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
learning (ML) applications?

Figure 22. Overall quality and readiness of data for AI (N=230).

2
AvePoint. (2024). AI & Information Management Report The Data Problem That’s Stalling
AI Success (pp. 16–17).
AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 33
Which of the following data quality issues are present in your Does your organization have established processes for data
organization’s data? (Please select all that apply.) quality monitoring, cleansing, and preparation specifically
for AI model training and deployment?

Figure 23. Data quality issues faced by organizations (N=229). Figure 24. Established data quality processes (N=235).

A root cause of poor data quality for AI is often the absence of dedicated
data hygiene processes. Our survey found that only 23% of organizations
had specific processes in place to prepare data for AI, such as addressing
missing data, outliers, data standardization, data augmentation,
and tackling data bias. To ensure successful AI implementation,
organizations must prioritize establishing robust data quality
monitoring, cleansing, and preparation processes specifically tailored
for AI model training and deployment.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 34
 This lack of integration between systems and data repositories makes
4.8 INTEROPERABILITY POSES BARRIER FOR AI AND
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT unstructured data management on an enterprise level challenging,
but also means that vast volumes of valuable data remain siloed
and inaccessible to AI models. Without seamless interoperability,
The survey results reveal a significant challenge for AI adoption as well
organizations are unable to fully leverage the potential of their data
as effective management of unstructured data: access to data.
assets, hindering the effectiveness of AI implementations.

Levels of Interoperability What is the level of interoperability of information

management tools used by your organization?

Over 50% of respondents reported either no interoperability or low

interoperability for critical systems such as Knowledge Management,
Content Management, Digital Asset Management, and Generative
AI. While collaboration tools, data analytics, and employee intranets
showed higher levels of interoperability, the survey highlights the
need for organizations to prioritize the integration of their information
management systems to unlock the full value of their data and enable
more powerful AI applications. Figure 25. Levels of interoperability (N=258).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 35
 4.9 OPPORTUNITIES FOR AI APPLIED TO
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

One of the main obstacles to successful AI adoption and a sense of

readiness is the absence of a well-defined strategy. When developing
an organizational strategy for AI, it’s crucial to prioritize the specific
problems that need to be addressed, rather than fixating on AI as a tool
itself.

To gauge your organization’s current use of AI to better manage

unstructured data, respondents were asked to share how their
organization was currently leveraging or planning to leverage AI to
improve a variety of information management processes. The data
identifies several prevalent use cases for AI in information management.

Based on the data provided, the most popular use cases for AI in
information management are information creation or generation,
content generation, and automation. Information creation or generation
has the highest percentage of organizations currently using AI at 21.36%,
followed by content generation at 18.72% and automation at 14.81%.
Figure 26. How organizations are currently leveraging or planning to
Looking at the combined percentages of organizations currently using leverage AI to improve information management processes (N=228).
AI and those planning to use it within the next 12 months, information
creation or generation remains the top use case at 49.54%. Automation
follows closely at 43.05%, while monitoring security protocols comes in
third at 42.59%.

It’s worth noting that all the listed use cases show significant interest in
AI adoption, with each having over 65% of organizations either currently
using, planning to use within 12 months, or considering using AI in 13 or
more months. This data suggests that AI is being increasingly recognized
as a valuable tool across various aspects of information management.
However, the high percentages in the “No plan to use” column for
several use cases, such as data hygiene (34.43%) and knowledge
management (31.34%), indicate areas where organizations may be
hesitant to implement AI solutions. This hesitancy could be attributed
to lack of scalable solutions for that use case, lack of clear return on
investment, or competing priorities.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 36
 When it comes to Generative AI, employees are increasingly adopting
4.10 CONCLUSION it (sometimes in the face of active organizational discouragement
or prohibition) but its allure to provide individual productivity gains
seems irresistible. The survey highlights a growing interest in AI for
Examining the tools of the practitioner is a key component to our
information management tasks. Organizations are recognizing the
understand of the state of the practice in today’s increasingly complex
potential of AI to automate processes, generate content, and improve
data/information management world.
information creation. However, challenges like data quality and
It was noted that the number of systems that organizations plan to system interoperability must be addressed for successful AI adoption.
use or actually uses continues to increase. This presents a training/ Organizations need to prioritize data hygiene practices and invest in
skillset challenge for organizations as search to attract and retain talent system integration to unlock the full potential of AI in information
remains frustratingly difficult. This is compounded by varying levels of management.
technological maturity across the landscape
Overall, the information management technology stack is rapidly
A parallel trend is the lack of success in the enterprise search category. expanding, with AI and automation playing an increasingly crucial
Our vendor partners need to reinvigorate their efforts to provide role. However, data quality and interoperability challenges must be
value-based solutions. Further down the adoption curve are some old addressed for successful AI implementation.
standards, ERP, CRM, Workflow. All of these will need to demonstrate
value given their relatively high investment costs, poor track records,
and outright dependance on high quality data/information.

Planning for the next 12 months, the role of governance must mature
rapidly in order to keep up with the projected demands of metadata, ML,
analytics, and workflow automation. While everyone is familiar with Dr. Peter Aiken
GIGO, simply supplying the organizational workforce with additional President,
high quality data is not enough. Data literacy needs highlighted and DAMA International
resolved by governance are also necessary to ensure that the workforce
understands 1. The role of high quality data as inputs to these tools and
2. How to use these tools is ways that support the knowledge worker,
the workgroup and the organization.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 37
STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Appendix A:
About this
Research

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 38
 Appendix A:
5. About this Research

The survey was sent to a mailing list of approximately 37,000

5.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY individuals, out of which 433 respondents completed the survey. The
survey results have a margin of error of ±4.66% at a 95% confidence
We value our objectivity and independence as a non-profit industry level.
association. The results of the survey and the market commentary made
in this report are independent of any bias from the vendor community.
The data shared in this report is just a small sample of the overall data 5.2 USING THIS RESEARCH
generated in preparation for each research report, and the distribution
of the full set of findings is limited to the underwriters.
As the non-profit association dedicated to nurturing, growing, and
The survey was designed by AIIM staff and members of the AIIM Board of supporting the intelligent information management community, AIIM is
Directors. proud to provide this research at no charge to our members and survey
respondents.
The survey was taken using a web-based tool from March 26, 2024,
to May 13, 2024. The sampling method used is voluntary response In this way, the entire community can leverage the education, thought
sampling. The survey was sent to individuals on AIIM’s mailing list leadership, and direction provided by our work. We would like these
and shared on social media. The respondents consist of those who research findings to be as widely distributed as possible.
voluntarily responded to the invitation.
Feel free to use individual elements of this research in presentations
The survey utilized skip logic to create a more tailored and efficient and publications with the attribution — © AIIM 2024, www.aiim.org.
experience for respondents. Skip logic, also known as conditional Permission is not given for other aggregators to host this report on
branching, is a feature that changes the sequence of questions their websites. Rather than redistribute a copy of this report to your
presented to a respondent based on their previous answers. This colleagues or clients, we would prefer that you direct them to
allows for a more personalized survey flow and reduces the number .aiim.org/research for a download of their own.
of irrelevant questions respondents encounter. Respondents who
indicated they were not involved directly or partially in the practice of
information management bypassed irrelevant questions. For clarity,
responses from individuals from Suppliers of Information Management
Software or Services (6% of respondents, N=28) have been excluded
from the report to focus on the responses from end users. This report
shares the integrated results unless otherwise stated — with specific N
(number of respondents) details listed with each data chart.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 39
STATE OF THE INTELLIGENT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Appendix B:
Respondent
Demographics

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 40
 Appendix B:
6 Respondent Demographics

6.1 RESPONDENTS BY RESPONSIBILTIES 6.2 RESPONDENTS BY INDUSTRY

The largest group of end user respondents, or those individuals who

The vast majority of survey respondents, 80%, work directly in use and purchase information management solutions, came from
information management roles such as Information Management, Government and Public Services (24%); Banking and Finance (7%); and
Records Management, Data Governance, or Information Governance. A Education (6%).
smaller but still significant portion of respondents, 18%, indicate that
while their roles utilize information management practices, it is not their What option best describes your organization’s
primary job function. Only a very small percentage of respondents, 2%, primary industry?
report that their roles do not directly involve information management
practices.

Which of the following best describes your role in relation to

information management practices? (Please select only one.)

Figure 28. Respondents by Industry (N=433).

Figure 27. Number of respondents involved directly or partially in

information management practices. (N=361).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 41
 6.3 RESPONDENTS BY GEOGRAPHIC REGION 6.4 RESPONDENTS BY ORGANIZATION SIZE
(NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES)

In the 2023 survey, 73% participants were from North America. To help discern differences in the level of investment in information
This year, with support from DAMA International and Records and and data management by organization size, the survey asked
Information Management Practitioners Alliance (RIMPA Global), respondents about the number of employees within their
the response was significantly more diverse and better reflects organization. The survey respondents represented organizations
the perspectives of the global information and data management of various sizes, as measured by the number of employees. The
industry. The majority of respondents are in North America (58%); largest proportion of respondents (29%) belonged to organizations
Europe (18%); and Oceania (8%). with 1,001 to 10,000 employees, closely followed by those with 101
to 1,000 employees (24%) and those with over 10,000 employees
In which geographical region is your organization (24%). Smaller organizations were also represented, with 13%
headquartered? of respondents from organizations having 11 to 100 employees
and 10% from organizations with 1 to 10 employees. This diverse
representation ensures that the survey results reflect the perspectives
of organizations across a wide range of employee counts.

Approximately how many total employees work at your

organization across all locations and branches?

Figure 29. Respondents by Geographic Location (N=432).

Figure 30. Respondents by Organization Size (N=431).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 42
 6.5 RESPONDENTS BY ORGANIZATION SIZE
(ANNUAL REVENUE)

This year, survey respondents were also asked to share their

organization’s total revenue to determine if there is correlation between
annual revenue and the level of maturity of information and data
management programs.

The survey respondents represented organizations across a wide range

of annual revenue levels. The majority (29%) reported revenues below
$10 million, followed by 17% with revenues exceeding $5 billion. The
remaining respondents were distributed relatively evenly among the
other revenue categories, ranging from $10 million to $5 billion. This
diverse representation enables a comprehensive analysis of the survey
results, considering the perspectives of organizations with varying
financial scales.

What was yourorganization’s approximate

revenue last year?

Figure 31. Respondents by Organizational Annual Revenue (N=399).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 43
 6.6 RESPONDENTS BY DEPARTMENT Which department do you currently work
within your organization?
The survey respondents represented various departments within
their organizations, with a significant majority (52%) working in
Information Management, Records Management, or Information
Governance roles. The second most represented department was
IT, Engineering, or Product Development, with 16% of respondents.
Executive and Administrative roles accounted for 7% of respondents,
while Legal and Sales/Business Development departments
represented 5% and 4%, respectively.

Other departments, such as Marketing/Communications, Operations/

Supply Chain, Customer Service/Support, HR/Administration, and
Finance/Accounting, each had a small proportion of respondents,
ranging from 1% to 2%. Additionally, 9% of respondents selected
the “Other” category, indicating that they work in departments not
specifically listed in the survey options.

These results suggest that the survey primarily captured insights

from professionals working in information management and related
fields, with representation from a diverse range of other departments
as well.

Figure 32. Respondents by Department (N=383).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 44
 6.7.2 - GENDER IDENTITY
6.7 DIVERSITY OF RESPONDENTS The survey also collected demographic information on respondents’
gender identity. The respondents were nearly evenly split between
This survey aimed to assess the state of the practice and as part of females (45.66%) and males (45.94%). A small percentage of
that aimed to collect data on the diversity of respondents to establish respondents (7.84%) preferred not to disclose their gender, while
benchmarks for improving diversity in the industry. 0.56% of respondents identified with a gender not specifically listed,
opting to specify their gender identity separately.
6.7.1 - RACE AND ETHNICITY
The survey gathered demographic information regarding What is your gender identity?
respondents’ ethnicity. The majority of respondents (63.48%)
identified as White/Caucasian, followed by those who preferred
not to answer (12.64%). Black or African American respondents
accounted for 7.58%, while Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic
respondents represented 6.74% and 5.06%, respectively. A small
percentage of respondents (3.93%) identified as having multiple
ethnicities or belonging to other ethnic groups not specifically listed.
American Indian or Alaskan Native respondents constituted 0.56% of
the sample.

Which race/ethnicity best describes you?

(Please choose only one.)

Figure 34. Respondent Gender Identity (N=357).

Figure 33. Respondent Race/Ethnicity (N=356).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 45
6.7.3 - AGE RANGE
The survey gathered age demographic data from respondents,
revealing that the majority of participants were in the older age
brackets. The largest age group represented was 45-54 years old,
accounting for 30.90% of respondents, followed closely by the 55-
64 age group at 28.93%. The 35-44 age group comprised 19.38%
of respondents, while those 65 years or older made up 9.27%.
The younger age groups had lower representation, with 3.93% of
respondents in the 25-34 age range and only 0.56% in the 18-24
category. Notably, 7.02% of respondents preferred not to disclose
their age.

Compared to the previous year’s survey, the age distribution

remained consistent, with most respondents being over 30
years old. Last year, the 45-60 age group accounted for 44% of
respondents, while the 30-44 age group represented 42%.

What is your age range?

Figure 35. Respondent Age Range (N=356).

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 46
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AIIM+ Pro offers information professionals at all levels of experience a
robust collection of original educational content:
All of the community building, networking, and events you get with AIIM+, plus unlimited
access to a robust collection of original educational content for information professionals at
all levels of experience.

Your community awaits.

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 49
Thank You to Our Sponsor

About Colligo

Colligo
Colligo offers an easy-to-use solution for compliant email
management. We help organizations stay compliant with
regulatory policies and reduce risk. Users save time by
quickly saving email to SharePoint while in Outlook. In
addition, we have innovative products for document
management in Teams, connecting Microsoft Office apps with
SharePoint, and enabling remote or offline workers.

In business for over 20 years, Colligo is a Preferred Microsoft

Content AI Partner and a member of the AIIM Board of
Directors and AIIM Leadership Council.

Learn more at

www.colligo.com

AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 50
Thank You to Our Sponsor

About Microsoft

Microsoft

DATA SECURITY
Secure your data
Strengthen data security with a comprehensive approach
that combines data and user context across your estate,
devices, and generative AI applications.

Learn more at
www.microsoft.com

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Thank You to Our Sponsor

About OpenText

OpenText
Tackle information overload caused by the explosion of
content, data, tools, systems, regulations, choices and risks,
making it impossible for your business to be in the know, in
the flow, and good to go. With OpenText™ Content Cloud and
AI content management, you can reimagine knowledge and
see employee confidence rise, operations accelerate, and
daily work become easier.

• Prepare employees to make smarter, faster decisions

• Reach operational excellence with secure and trusted
data
• Bridge information silos to increase access to knowledge
• Address the most complex use cases at scale all with the
flexibility to run your solution anywhere with Content
Cloud.

Learn more at
www.opentext.com/content

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 AIIM 2024 INDUSTRY WATCH

About AIIM

+1 301 587 8202

[email protected]
www.aiim.org

Founded in 1944, the Association for Intelligent Information

Management (AIIM) is a nonprofit organization serving
information leaders in over 67 countries worldwide. AIIM’s
vision is to create a world where every organization benefits
from intelligent information and data management to
achieve better business outcomes. AIIM helps information
leaders manage and prepare unstructured data for AI and
automation by providing advice, certification, training, and
peer-to-peer support. Through practical and approachable
resources, AIIM enables organizations to leverage their
information assets effectively, ultimately leading to
improved business performance and success.

Become part of AIIM’s vibrant community

and join today at

aiim.org/join
aiim.org
AIIM 2024 Industry Watch: The Intelligent Information Management Practice - © 2024 AIIM Page 53