What Is Information Resource Management (IRM)?

Information resource management (IRM) is the management of records, information, or data sets as a resource. It can relate to either business or government goals and objectives. It is a broad term in IT that means different things to different people. Some people use it to manage information resources, while others consider it to collect and store all data types, including personal information. Additionally, IRM can help you keep and manage any information: audio, video, text-based documents, images, etcetera. Information resources can be broadly defined as data sets required for a specific function. Information resources are needed for every organization to function. They are necessary for every process, every decision, every action, and procedure. Information resources can be structured (numeric) and unstructured (non-numeric). Information resources can be either public or private. Information resources can be both in physical form, or they can be purely virtual. Information resources are precious and must be secured and preserved; they must be protected. IRM is the process or science of managing information resources to achieve an organization's desired goals and objectives. If you've ever been caught in a situation where you're wondering, "Where is that document?" then you know how vital information resource management (IRM) is. IRM involves identifying data as an asset, categorizing it and providing various types of active management. Experts describe IRM as managing the life cycle of data sets, from their creation to their use in IT architectures to archiving and eventually destroying non-permanent data. IRM can refer to either software resources, physical supplies and materials, or personnel managing information at any use stage. The goal of IRM is to ensure that valuable information is accessible to those who need it when they need it. IRM also helps users determine whether they need something before they store it electronically or on paper—saving money on unnecessary storage costs!