The driving forces behind a proper, structured records management strategy are gaining momentum, and organisations which have yet to implement such a programme will pay a high price: in direct costs, in terms of risk management, notably with regard to business continuity, in the potential for litigation, in embarrassment due to lost records, and in negatively impacted customer service.
Gartner is unequivocal about the need for a solid and coherent records management strategy: "Legal discovery of electronic documents is a big business, and those enterprises that don't keep proper records or cannot produce them will pay heavy legal costs and, possibly, financial judgments. Records management has moved out of the basement and into the executive suite."
Gartner adds: "Companies and government bodies are challenged by records management programme management and system selection. Complex and overlapping regulatory requirements make it difficult to determine what must be kept, for how long and in what format. Most enterprises do not have a clear idea of what kinds of documents they are producing, how those documents relate to one another and even where they are stored."
Establishing a records management programme is a long, complex and arduous process, but given the stakes, it is not negotiable. It needs the application of true professionals, time and money, and the recognition of a multitude of challenges:
* The sheer number and variety of records created every day, in a number of formats.
* The codification and enforcement of policy, procedure and retrieval controls.
* Keeping up with evolving, often complex compliance requirements around retention and disposal, and regulatory compliance, privacy and the potential for litigation.
* Putting in place a consistent, workable and cost-effective approach to manage all stages of the information lifecycle. Each class of document needs to be managed differently at various stages in its lifecycle; without this, costs can easily spiral out of control, and too much can be spent inappropriately on certain record types.
* Applying a change management programme that allows users and customers to embrace and apply the records management programme, and not work outside it.
Establishing a records management programme is a long, complex and arduous process, but given the stakes, it is not negotiable.
Paul Mullon, Metrofile's information governance executive
To give effect to such a programme, a company needs a starting point, and this revolves around assessing where it is today: what is its current status with regard to records management?
To get to this point, the organisation needs to assess its infrastructure, policies, procedures, required staffing, training, physical and virtual environments, and the audit review, especially as it pertains to risk management. This will allow the firm to model the "as is" situation, and begin work on the "to be" state.
As such an assessment is a once-off, requiring skills the company is most unlikely to need again, it is highly recommended that it consult with a domain expert to ensure an objective assessment. Such an assessment will include strengths and weaknesses, positives and negatives, and it will suggest remedial steps. Following such an approach will identify what is needed for a records management programme that is efficient, cost-effective, compliant and secure.
Finally, the organisation is best served through working with external specialists which have a track record of delivering such a programme: the alternative is to gear up, investing in storage space, skills and competencies, and maintaining them throughout the lifecycle of the records. And this could lead both to unnecessary costs and a less than optimal outcome.
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