Discussion
ITS 833 – INFORMATION GOVERNANCE
Chapter 9
Information Governance and Records Information Management Functions
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CHAPTER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Understand the business necessity for records management and electronic records management
Understand the benefit and challenges to Records Management
Identify the steps to inventorying records and creating a Records Retention Schedule
Address guidelines for the retention of e-mail records
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Records Management
Text gives definitions of records from ISO and ARMA. We can infer from these that records are information that is captured during the course of doing business, such as contracts, business correspondence, HR files, etc., often representing legal obligations for the company.
Not all documents are formal business records by legal definition.
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E-Records Management
With the amount of information rapidly increasing due to the large storage capacity and volume of electronic records being generated, effective e-records management (ERM) is critical.
Includes both electronic records, as well as the electronic management of non-electronic records (paper, DVDs, tape, audio-visual, etc.)
Effective ERM is even more critical in highly regulated businesses.
Must control and manage these records throughout the records life cycle – from creation to destruction.
Challenges include the rapidly increasing volume of data and changes in IT (different archival media), making it difficult to retrieve and view – necessitating a long-term digital preservation (LTDP) plan.
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Records Management Drivers
Drivers for effective RM include:
Increased government oversight and industry regulation.
Changes in legal procedures and requirements during civil litigation.
IG awareness (developing RM programs within IG practices that address retention periods, for example).
Business continuity concerns – recoverability of vital records .
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Challenges to RM
Changing and increasing regulations
Maturing IG requirements within the organization
Managing multiple retention and disposition schedules
Compliance costs/limited staff
Changing information delivery platforms
Security concerns
Dependence on the IT department or provider
User assistance and compliance
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Benefits of ERM
Implementing ERM is a significant investment sometimes without a clear ROI.
Benefits, however, include:
Office space savings
Office supplies
Search/retrieval times savings, increasing confidence and decision making
Improved capabilities for enforcing IG over business documents and records
Reduce risk of compliance actions or legal consequences
Improved worker productivity
Improved records security
Improved ability to demonstrate legally defensible RM practices
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Intangible Benefits
Controls the creation and growth of records
Assimilates new records management technologies
Safeguards vital information
Preserves corporate memory
Fosters professionalism in running the business
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1st Step: Inventorying E-Records
Inventorying must be done sooner, rather than later.
Tracking them all down is the challenge (distributed among systems, including shadow copies)
Information owners may not trust a new RM program – getting them to cooperate may be difficult
Among the other objectives on page 156, objectives to inventorying include:
Provide a survey of the existing electronic records situation that leads to a needs assessment for future actions
Identify and describe the e-records holdings
Identify obsolete electronic records
Determine storage needs for active and inactive records
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Records Inventorying Steps
Define the inventory’s goals
Define the scope of the inventory
Obtain top management support
Decide on the information to be collected
Prepare an inventory form
Decide who will conduct the inventory
Learn where the files are located
Conduct the inventory (surveys, interviews, direct observation)
Verify and analyze the results – tie findings to the goals and the value of the records (Records appraisal)
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Records Appraisal
Goal is to determine the value to the organization in order to determine retention schedule
Records can have:
Historical value
Administrative value
Regulatory or statutory value
Legal value
Fiscal value
“Other”
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2nd Step: Develop Records Retention Schedule
Retention schedules provide consistency in the retention and disposition process.
Develop an information map (where created, where it resides, path it takes – who uses it)
Information included in a retention schedule:
Title of the records series (group of related records used and filed as a unit)
Description of the records series
Responsible office
Disposal decision (destroy, transfer, reconsider at a later date)
Disposal timing
Event that triggers the action
Dates schedule was signed
Legal citations or a link to the citation
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Records Series Identification and Classification
Case Records
Have a beginning and an end, but are added to over time
Have titles that include names, dates, numbers, or places (i.e. mortgages, contracts)
Subject Records
Information relating to specific or general topics, arranged according to content
Records relative to laws/statutes have longer term schedules (often kept until “superseded or obsolete”)
Records that relate to “routine operations” will have shorter retention periods
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General Principles to Retention Scheduling
Must include all records, regardless of media or location
Legal and regulatory requirements must be reflected in the process (i.e. FOIA)
Must be proactive planning process (set up and standardized in advance)
Periodic reviews when changes occur, or annually/biannually
Continuous updating
Classification and records scheduling are linked
Similar records should have similar retention schedules
Records of historical value must be preserved
Should reflect business needs of users or compliance requirements
Optimize use and minimize cost by retaining a minimum amount of time
Keep in a protected repository to maintain integrity
Senior management must approve and sign off on the schedule
Senior management must be able to review the schedule
Document the scheduling process
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E-Mail Retention
Not all are formal records – only those that relate to a transaction or business-related event. Records that may come into dispute in litigation.
It’s a record if…..
The e-mail documents a transaction or the progress toward an ultimate transaction where anything of value is exchanged between two or more parties
The e-mail documents or provides support of a business activity occurring that pertains to internal corporate governance policies or compliance
The e-mail message documents other business activities that may possibly be disputed in the future
Retention periods from 90 days to as long as seven years
Legal requirements (research yours) drive the retention period
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The End
Copyright@ Geanie Assante 2019
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