Information, Data and Storage

Storage Management

Hello, I’m the Storage Manager.

I run Saf-T-Stor Storage Units. I have 50 storage units available, of varying sizes and shapes, priced accordingly. My job is to provide people with a place to store their stuff. I keep the storage units secure and accessible. I also keep the mice from getting into the units and chewing on everything.

I don’t know what people keep in their storage units and honestly, I don’t care. I don’t even care how long you keep your stuff in the storage units.

I never look inside the storage units, that’s not my business and I’m way too busy chasing the mice away. People can fill their storage unit with bananas for all I care. Well, that might attract more mice, so, no perishables allowed!

Storage Management Strategy

If all the units fill up and I have some extra cash in the bank, I will definitely build more storage units. Otherwise, I turn customers away until someone cleans out their storage unit. I’ll let the Data Manager worry about what people are storing in their unit, that’s no business of mine.

Data Management

Hi! I’m the Data Manager!

I know that Saf-T-Stor isn’t the only place for people to put stuff. There are a bunch of bookshelves at the local library where people can and should keep magazines and books. Makes it easier for people to share. Magazines and books really shouldn’t be kept in Saf-T-Stor. It’s a waste of space and it’s tough to dig around in there to find anything.

There’s also a set of locking file cabinets at the library that can be used to store private documents, like W2 forms. I’ll make sure everyone who needs to get into those cabinets has the right keys.

Data Management Strategy

The Information Manager tells me how to identify and group together all the stuff we have and whether it’s private, should be shared or just stored away. This way, I can decide whether it belongs in a storage unit, bookshelf or file cabinet. I don’t know or really understand what’s in any of the documents. I can’t tell a floorplan from a blueprint! I rely on the Information Manager to tell me which is which.

The Information Manager also told me that W2 forms should be thrown out after 5 years. Old newspapers should be recycled after reading, no need to keep those around. I check around periodically to make sure everything is in the right place is old stuff is thrown out when the time is right.

Information Management

Hi there, I’m the Information Manager!

Listen, National Geographic magazines are really useful and should be prominently displayed on the top shelf, organized by month and year. I’ll photocopy the table of contents from each magazine and post it so people can easily find the article they need. In fact, I’ll even add some information to tell people which continent the articles are about, since I know people are always looking for articles about specific continents.

I explained to the Data Manager how to identify a floorplan, this way they can all be kept together. I always add the name of the floorplan to a spreadsheet I make available so that they can be sorted by building type and square footage. That makes it easy for architects to find the right floorplan.

No point in keeping W2 forms older than 5 years, that’s just clutter. Nobody ever asks for old newspapers, so those can be thrown out as well.

Information Management Strategy

I work closely with architects, sales people and engineers. I know architects need floorplans, sales people need sales figures and contact information, and engineers need blueprints. I help the Data Manager identify those documents among all the clutter so they can be put in the right place. Then, I make it easy for architects, sales people and engineers to quickly find what they need, when they need it.

The Storage Manager and the Librarian maintain the storage facilities. The Data Manager makes sure data is logically grouped and groomed for easy access. The Information Manager defines the method for grouping like data together in some logical way and also makes sure that specific data can be easily located when needed.