importance of records management essay

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Today, too many companies either underestimate the importance of records management, or view this process as a matter of convenience (rather than one of necessity). And yet, records management programs are vital for any office with ongoing recordkeeping, as they offer a number of advantages akin to productivity and cost savings. What’s more, a good records management system helps ensure compliance and quick access to your most-referenced files.

What is a record?

A record is any document that’s created or received in an office setting, and that supports an organization in conducting its business. A record — whether paper or digital — contains information that is made, produced, executed, or received in connection with transactional office activities, and is either preserved permanently or temporarily (according to a predetermined retention schedule). Records are hard evidence of an agency’s unique policies, procedures, and decisions, and often hold significant administrative, historical, and legal value.

Why is records management important?

The importance of records management lies in how it oversees information that’s been created, received, maintained, and disposed of (regardless of the document’s format). In other words, records management is important because it ensures that vital records are preserved and it supervises records throughout their lifecycle, including compliance with set retention procedures.

Ultimately, leveraging records management is the best way to guarantee records with historical, fiscal, and legal impact are accurately identified and preserved, and that non-essential records are discarded as often as is required by established guidelines.

8 benefits of efficient records management

A quality records management system can bring numerous benefits to your organization, from improved efficiency and faster retrieval, to enhanced workflows and minimized risks. The following are a few of the top reasons for your agency to invest in a records management system of its own, and start enjoying all the perks as soon as possible.

1. Easier compliance

With record compliance growing increasingly stricter, it’s crucial for organizations to have a solid record management system in place to ensure they abide by all necessary regulations. These laws and regulations can include things like HIPAA, FACTA, and/or the HITECH Act — all of which merit a well-structured approach to records management. And easier, more seamless compliance is incredibly helpful to your agency as a whole, considering enforcement for noncompliance can be quite severe (ranging from legal actions to other expensive penalties).

To make sure you follow through with regulatory compliance, you’ll likely need the help of records management technology, in addition to a trusted policy for records retention.

2. Better workflows

The truth is, most agencies don’t analyze the time spent on storing or searching for records, so it’s difficult to know how much time is wasted in the process. But when documents are stored onsite in overflowing file cabinets, there’s no doubt a lot of time is lost while trying to recover relevant information. Worse yet, after records have been retrieved, they’ll eventually need to be refiled, which takes up additional hours that could be better used elsewhere within the office.

Thanks to a unified, comprehensive records management system, your most noteworthy data and details can be conveniently accessed whenever you need them. In turn, this promotes better workflows, and boosts your organization’s ability to handle business in a timely fashion and ensure service delivery to constituents.

3. Cost savings

Consider the volume of reports and emails your business produces on a daily basis; out of all of that information, there may be only a small percentage that is actually useful (or that needs to be kept on file). Moreover, handling records — especially the paper variety — demands considerable time and money due to locating adequate storage space and printing or filing all your physical forms. Fortunately, with proper records management, your agency can gain control over the growth of its records and be sure it retains the most relevant or pertinent data.

Digital records management offers notable cost savings by reducing your storage fees and improving the efficiency of your team (i.e. less time spent searching for lost or misplaced files).

4. Effective retrieval

Simply put, information is only useful when it can be retrieved; if you’re unable to access your files when (or how often) you need, there’s almost no point in storing them at all. But with effective retrieval and accessible systems, your agency can make informed decisions in a snap. Records management software not only makes document retrieval more streamlined, but it disposes of unwanted data so that your most important items can be utilized unencumbered.

Plus, with a cloud-based records management system, data can be shared and updated remotely rather than solely on-premises. This level of retrieval capability allows managers or department leads to have all the information they need right at their fingertips, and enables them to achieve smarter, more deliberate outcomes time and time again.

5. Minimize risks

By implementing records management, your agency can readily reduce the risks of litigation and/or potential penalties. That’s because a thorough and thoughtful records management strategy can minimize the liabilities associated with document disposal (meaning it dramatically reduces the risk of fines or other disciplinary actions). In fact, well-executed records management mitigates these risks in much the same way that legal counsel or an insurance policy might — by protecting against unwanted or unforeseen future events.

While most compliance risk comes from documents that are destroyed prematurely, there is equal (or greater) risk in storing documents for too long; records can and should be destroyed after a certain number of years, depending on the file type. If a file is retained beyond when it was supposed to be destroyed, it can still be used against an organization in legal proceedings.

6. Protect data

Protecting your data is one of the greatest concerns of agencies everywhere (as it should be). Every organization, no matter the size, needs intelligent programming to help protect its personnel files and other confidential information from the threat of disaster or theft. The most effective records management systems have the ability to digitize your incoming mail, invoices, client contracts, and more, so each of these documents exists in a searchable archive as soon as it’s received. Then, when combined with a trusted IT program, your data will be properly safeguarded and available whenever it’s needed.

In that way, records management preserves the integrity and privacy of your records, and makes sure all sensitive content or employee details can’t be accessed by unauthorized users.

7. Preserve knowledge

An organization’s records are a vast database which holds the contents for any and all future planning and decision-making. Every single record created within a given business day could be used or referenced down the line in pivotal decisions, policy updates, and so on. Since records document the ongoing activities at your place of business, they’re a great resource for fact checking or confirming information as it relates to one or more team members.

This preservation of knowledge is essential for the continued success of your agency, as well for improved productivity within your department in both the short and long-term.

8. Boost morale

There’s no denying that poorly managed records, unorganized filing systems, and recurrent loss of documents creates a less-than-ideal office environment — which can have a direct impact on employees’ morale or motivation at work. Though it’s difficult to quantify how much these circumstances negatively affect your team, it’s no doubt noticeable. By implementing a strong system for records management, you can boost the overall feeling among everyone on your staff, and give increased confidence that things are running according to plan.

How the Texas Department of Insurance saved costs by setting up a records management system

Until very recently, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) was spending more than $300,000 annually to store Workers’ Compensation files. This expense seemed to be continually growing, given their increasing record volumes and the labor it took to manage 20,000 boxes of case files. Locating documents was a daily frustration, and the TDI team was struggling to respond to record requests in a timely manner. However, the tide really turned for this organization when they sought the help of Image API to digitize over 800,000 case files.

With the support of Image API’s digital document management , more than 50 million images were delivered to the TDI over the course of this project. In turn, the department was relieved of paying hundreds of thousands in storage costs, and dramatically improved the turnaround time for their numerous records requests.

How to easily set up your records management system

While storing paper documents is still a common approach to records management, it’s also a  costly and time-consuming method that’s growing more and more antiquated. And not only are paper files inconvenient, they’re readily outperformed by today’s leading technology solutions — which includes digital document management.

For over two decades, Image API has been helping agencies across the country to simplify their workflows via intelligent digitization , cloud content management , and digital process automation . Image API has the experience and expertise needed to resolve all types of paper-related problems, and to streamline how you circulate and share your files. When your organization is functioning at the speed of digital, you’ll be well on your way toward maximizing your time, achieving measurable results, and adding significant value to your agency for years to come.

Records management FAQs

What are the functions and uses of records.

A record contains information that is made, produced, executed, or received in connection with transactional office activities, and supports an organization in conducting its business. Records are hard evidence of an agency’s unique policies, procedures, and decisions, and often hold significant administrative, historical, and legal value.

What are the basic principles of records management?

The basic principles of records management are: purpose, verification, classification, reasonable cost, elasticity, retention, and availability. In essence, these principles dictate what a ‘good’ records management system is, and represent a structure to be sought after.

What happens if you don’t keep a record of important files?

Office records provide a history of an agency’s unique policies and decisions, and contain a lot of administrative, historical, and legal value — which is why it’s so vital to have proper recordkeeping procedures. If your organization doesn’t keep a record of its important files, you open yourself up to lost information, failed compliance or audits , and costly legal repercussions.

Meredith Kane

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Records Management

Records Management 101: Why Is It Important?

Now, more than ever, it’s critical for organizations to have an effective records management program in place.  As the creation of infinite amounts of information continues to increase and regulatory laws evolve, the need for records management becomes only more imperative.

While many companies are familiar with the concept of records management for paper records, many are still not addressing the management of huge volumes of electronic documents. Business leaders need to understand the importance of managing all types of files – including both physical and electronic – to stay compliant. Additionally, they need to understand how implementing a comprehensive RIM program can help their organization reach long-term goals.

What Is Records Management?

Records management ,  also known as records information management (RIM) , is the process of supervising and administering information created, received, maintained, stored and disposed of, regardless of format. Simply put, records management is the management of an organization’s information throughout its lifecycle. Companies must follow approved policies, records management procedures , and retention schedules when creating, maintaining and sharing information.

The RIM life-cycle accounts for the management of all paper and digital files, including personnel files, financial reports, emails, social media and more:

Why Is Records Management Important?

According to IBM, 90% of the world’s data  was created in two years alone. Without the regular monitoring of your information, the management of massive volumes of data becomes nearly impossible.

In addition to data overload, the ever-evolving regulatory environment is a reason why records management is imperative for companies. Unenforced records management procedures and retention policies can result in unnecessary audits, lost productivity, and hefty penalties for noncompliance.

A comprehensive RIM program manages the growth of information over multiple repositories, keeping you in compliance with data privacy regulations for information governance (IG) and e-discovery . The following are extended benefits of implementing a good records management plan in your office:

Benefits of Records Management for Businesses

1) reduces records volume and storage costs.

Did you know that only 5-10% of business records have any significant value? Imagine the number of files, reports, and emails that are produced by your organization on a daily basis. Out of all that information, only a portion of it may be useful or necessary to keep.

With the proper management of records, an organization controls the growth of records and retains only relevant data. A RIM system follows a mandated retention schedule, outlining how long records need to be kept and when disposition needs to occur. Paper documents that are legally required to be stored can be stored cost-effectively with the help of document storage companies . Files that are accessed daily can be scanned and stored in an electronic document management system, opening up office space that can be reallocated to other business functions.

2) Allows Effective Retrieval of Records

Information is only useful when it can be retrieved. RIM accounts for the quick retrieval of documents by indexing and organizing them—making them accessible and reducing employee search times.

By scanning documents into an advanced  document management system , information can be gained quickly and accurately from a cloud-based repository. Data can be shared and updated remotely, eliminating unnecessary duplicates. With accessible information at hand, your organization is enabled to make smarter, better business decisions.

3) Enables Regulatory Compliance

With records management laws t(including HIPAA, FACTA, and the HITECH Act), the need for a well-structured records management system in business is paramount. Enforcement for noncompliance can be severe, including subpoenas, legal actions, and costly penalties.

Whether you have a paper or electronic records management system, it’s essential to track records throughout their lifecycle as evidence of their existence. The tracking of records permits your staff to know when and how to apply retention rules, such as legal hold or destruction.

4) Enables Business Continuity

Ensuring the preservation of your company’s assets is a critical component of an effective RIM program. Information delivers value to each part of your organization, and, if permanently lost, your business could suffer drastically.

Adopting a records management policy keeps sensitive data protected in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Electronic records and data backups that are essential to continuity can be stored in secure  media vaults , protecting them from internal or external threats.

5) Automates Workflow

Most companies don’t analyze the time employees spend on storing or searching for records. When documents are stored onsite and disorganized, you must constantly sift through them to locate relevant information. After retrieval, you must undergo an additional refiling process.

With a unified records management system, content is stored in a centralized repository. Records are classified and categorized, cutting down on retrieval times and accelerating your organization’s ability to conduct business.

A Customized RIM Program for Your Business

A RIM program requires a well-organized, consistent plan of action structured around your long-term goals. At Vital Records Control (VRC), we aren’t only a document storage provider; we’re your partner to manage all your information assets throughout their entire lifecycle. Our team meets with you to understand your long-term objectives, customizing a RIM strategy that’s suited for you. Get in touch with us to learn more.

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• Understanding Importance Records Management

Understanding the Importance of Records Management

Learn why records management is crucial to the success of your business, and then get started with these three simple steps

Records management is a crucial element of a successful enterprise, regardless of industry. Still, many businesses fail to recognize its importance.

What Is Records Management?

Also referred to as records information management, records management is the process of supervising and administering paper and digital records. This process continues throughout the entire records management life cycle, which spans the production, receipt, maintenance, use, and disposal of information.

The records that are being managed will vary from industry to industry, but can include:

These records should be organized according to a classification system that allows for easy access, either on- or off-site or, better yet, digitally in the cloud. However, the records are maintained, the primary objective of records management is to keep necessary information organized and at the ready, both for efficient internal operations and in case of a compliance audit.

Benefits of Records Management

Reduce Clutter and Storage Costs Part of proper records management involves disposing of information that has expired, meaning that it’s no longer useful or necessary.

Government agencies  are subject to local government records retention schedules , which outline how long specific documents need to be retained for and, when applicable, how they should be discarded.

Even if you do not work for a government agency, though, you still need to be on top of your records management. For example, the IRS recommends that businesses keep tax records for seven years , as they may be necessary in certain circumstances. Bank account and credit card statements, cancelled checks, and HR records also have a shelf life of seven years, with employment tax records coming in at four years.

Organizations that fail to get rid of unnecessary documents face a never-ending accumulation of information, which has to live somewhere. This can mean a growing number of file cabinets, adding to both office clutter and storage costs.

Proper record disposal will help with part of this problem by ensuring that you only maintain the records that you really need. Digitizing takes you the rest of the way by freeing up invaluable office space.

Access Information Quickly and Easily Nothing eats into productivity more than having to search for information or documents. Yet people spend about a week searching for lost papers and items every year.

Records management aims to prevent this issue first by eliminating unnecessary documents, so that you have less to sort through, and also by indexing and organizing the records that are here to stay. Staff should be able to access the information they need quickly, reducing search times that cut into productivity and distract from the real work at hand.

Scanning documents into a digital document management system increases efficiency even further, allowing you to access, share, and update data remotely with just a few clicks.

Adhere to Regulatory Compliance As mentioned above, local governments require that certain industries maintain certain types of records for a specific amount of time, as outlined in their records retention schedules. Federal laws and regulations such as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) make proper records management even more crucial.

>> Learn about how to choose the right document scanner for health care  

Organizations that fail to adhere to these regulations can face costly financial penalties or even legal actions. Strict records management is the only way to ensure regulatory compliance and avoid these potentially crippling consequences.

Protect Important Information Whether or not your organization is subject to compliance regulations, protecting important company assets and confidential information is essential to your ability to function in the long term. Theft, natural disasters, human error, and deteriorating document quality are all threats to the integrity of your records.

While some companies choose to minimize these threats by storing paper documents in a protected off-site storage facility, the best and only way to prevent data loss is to go paperless by storing records in the cloud. Many digital records management systems even allow you to set specific restrictions, so that only authorized staff can access or update sensitive documents.

Save Money and Time Records management takes a lot of time and money, requiring storage space, printing materials, and staff to file and maintain documents. Of course, the time and money necessary only increase when records management isn’t handled well, and staff must search for or even replace lost records.

A digital records management system saves you these expenses by eliminating the resources associated with printing, organizing, storing, and maintaining documents. The increased efficiency that comes with such a system only further reduces costs.

Control Record Growth The process of implementing records management after having neglected it may require a lot of upfront work, depending on the degree of disorder and how long records have been accumulating for. However, once you have a plan for records management in place, you should have no trouble keeping your documents in check.

Whenever a new record is created, you should have the necessary knowledge or resources at hand to decide whether it needs to be maintained. If it doesn’t, you can dispose of it properly to avoid unnecessarily growing your records; if it does, you have a system in place to organize it logically, ensuring easy future access.

Boost Employee Motivation If employees are constantly faced with disorganized or lost records that slow or even block their workflows, they will quickly become frustrated. Energy that should go toward work instead goes toward solving problems that shouldn’t exist in the first place. Though not quantifiable, this poor working environment will certainly affect employee motivation.

On the other hand, employees who can finish work efficiently without any blockages will feel empowered by their accomplishments and eager to keep going. The difference between these two situations lies in effective records management.

How to Improve Records Management

1. Monitor Federal Regulations and Document Retention Schedules Your organization should be aware of any and all federal regulations that apply to your work. Monitor them regularly to ensure that you remain compliant with any updates that are made.

Local governments may also issue updates to their document retention schedules, so check your state’s schedules frequently.

If none of these policies apply to your business, now is the time to do some research, establish best practices for different document types, and make a plan.

2. Discard Expired Documents Once you’re aware of any regulations or best practices that you need to follow, your first step is to dispose of unnecessary documents. Keep in mind that the government regulates how certain kinds of records are discarded. For example, after the established retention period, Washington State requires that public hospitals destroy diagnostic images, but that they transfer maternity registers to the Washington State Archives for further appraisal.

Disposing of the records that you don’t need will make organizing what’s left over that much easier.

3. Digitize Everything While maintaining an effective records management system on-site or in off-site storage is possible, digitizing records is becoming the norm — and for good reason. Storing records in the cloud allows your organization to:

• Reduce office clutter.
• Minimize costs associated with printing, storing, and maintaining documents.
• Protect information from threats such as theft, natural disasters, human error, and deteriorating document quality.
• Access, share, and update records remotely, speeding up workflows and empowering you to make smart decisions based on up-to-date data.

The challenge, then, isn’t deciding how to move forward with records management so much as deciding what technology to use to do so.

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The Alaris IN2 Ecosystem is particularly suitable for this task, with a variety of scanners  and software  solutions to make implementing and maintaining records management  easy. Alaris features that directly benefit records management include:

• Intelligent job select : Configure multiple jobs with unique settings using patch sheets, saving time on job setup.
• Outstanding image clarity and character definition : The right imaging technology, such as Alaris Perfect Page makes OCR and barcode reading more accurate, requires less data correction and manual entry and streamlines automated data delivery to applications.
• Wireless technology : Scanners function wirelessly within your existing infrastructure and applications, making integration simple and quick.
• Usability : You won’t be improving your records management efficiency if your team can’t figure out how to use the new technology. Thankfully, scanners from Alaris feature user-friendly touchscreens and can be configured for one-touch scanning . Certain scanners, such as the Alaris S2060w, even offer wireless connectivity to mobile devices.
• Sorting : Preparing documents for scanning can take much longer than the scanning itself. Kodak scanners reduce your pre- and post-scanning workload by separating out patch sheets, isolating documents such as driver’s licenses and stock certificates, and similar tasks.
• Four-layer document protection : This includes several different capabilities. Length detection protects against papers getting stuck or overlapping (which causes them to appear as one long document); ultrasonic double document detection ensures that only one document enters the scanner at a time; intelligent document protection “listens” for crumpling sounds, stopping the job in time to protect the document; and metal detection prevents overlooked paper clips and staples from disrupting the process or scratching the scanner glass.
• Intelligent barcode reading : Barcode scanning allows you to scan documents to the right place or integrate them into specific business processes. The newest Kodak scanners capture a high-resolution version of barcodes, ensuring that they can be read properly so that manual data entry isn’t necessary.
• Intelligent printing : Image addressing, patch counting, and indexing help track data in business systems, automating tasks and increasing efficiency.

Whether you’re opening a new business or are taking the initiative with your current organization, now is the time to get your records in order. Visit our site  or contact us directly  to learn more about how the Alaris IN2 Ecosystem can help improve records management!

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Understanding records management.

Records management is “responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records”. - ST/SGB/2007/5 Record-keeping and the management of United Nations archives.

We all rely on information to help us work effectively and to build the knowledge for ourselves and the Organization. Records management is the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records. Records management is the process of identifying and protecting evidence, which comes in the form of records.

What is the records lifecycle? 

All information and records go through a lifecycle. Knowing what stages records go through helps with identifying the most important activities that need to happen to protect and properly organize the Organization's records.

The first phase - Create/receive - starts when records are either received from an external source or created internally. The objectives of this initial stage are:

After the first phase records immediately enter an Active phase of the lifecycle. It means that they are often used, shared between colleagues, retrieved to support day-to-day business and referred to. The objectives of this stage are: Create complete and accurate records that provide evidence of the organization's functions, activities, decisions, transactions, procedures, etc. 

The active phase of the lifecycle may be short for some records (e.g. payroll records' active phase usually is only about two months) and long for others (e.g. a MoU between a field mission and a Host country government may be in its active stage for the entire duration of the mission’s operations). All records, however, move through the lifecycle and with time the retrieval rate often diminishes. At some point, they reach a stage when they are not needed anymore in the primary office space but must still be kept for evidentiary, legal, financial, or historical purposes, as dictated by the retention schedule. This is when they enter an Inactive phase of the lifecycle. During this stage , we should free up space in our offices to new records, but we need to ensure keeping inactive records handy. The objectives of this stage are: 

Finally, at the end of the lifecycle, records enter the stage a decision is made (usually based on an approved retention schedule) on what happens with records that entered the final stage of their life. It's called a Disposition phase . In the United Nations , there are two available disposition actions: either Archive or Destroy. It means that some portion of the records, usually about 5% of the total records' holdings of an office or a mission, that due to their historical value have a permanent retention, will be transferred to ARMS while the rest will be destroyed at some point. The objectives of this stage are: 

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University of Northern British Columbia

Search unbc, records management, why is records management important.

Ultimately, Records Management ensures that institutional records of vital historical, fiscal, and legal value are identified and preserved, and that non-essential records are discarded in a timely manner according to established guidelines and identified legislation. Benefits of Records Management include more effective management of your current records (both paper and electronic); a reduced / eliminated level of record-keeping redundancies; reduced costs for records storage equipment and supplies; and increased usable office space through the elimination of unnecessary file storage. In addition, Records Management provides institutional accountability and timely access to information.

What is a record?

All information created, sent and received in the course of your job is potentially a record. Records provide evidence of your unit’s business activities and function. Whether something is a University record (as opposed to Faculty records pertaining to teaching / research or personal records) depends on the information it contains and the context of its creation. Records can be in paper, digital or other formats. Some examples include:

•    emails •    reports •    databases •    samples and objects •    letters •    minutes •    photographs •    social media sites

•    faxes •    spreadsheets •    maps and plans •    information in business systems •    text messages •    policy and briefing papers •    research data

Records Management – What is it, why is important and where to start?

ISO standard 15489 defines Records Management (RM) as the field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.

It’s so “simple” as managing the records of your organization throughout their lifecycle, from the time they are created to their eventual disposal. This includes identifying, classifying, storing, securing, retrieving, tracking and destroying or permanently preserving records.

The key word in RM is “evidence”: managing the evidence of activities as well as the reduction or mitigation of risk associated with it.

What is a record?

A record is something that represents proof of existence. It´s an evidence that a particular event took place, regardless of the medium, format or characteristics. It is either created or received by an organization in pursuance of or in compliance with legal obligations, or in the transaction of business. Records can be either tangible objects, such as paper documents like birth certificates, citizen cards, and x-rays, or digital information, such as electronic documents, databases, website content, and email.

How to efficiently manage organization’s records?

Considering the existence of thousands of records, which continuously grow every day, it’s absolutely critical that your organization has the ones it really needs, in the moment they are really needed, while considering compliance, security and auditing issues. And that’s the role of a Records Management solution. Manage records lifecycle in an automated and dematerialized way so that you can easily:

• Create and capture records to meet requirements for evidence of business activity.
• Take appropriate action to protect the records authenticity, reliability, integrity, and usability as their business context and requirements for management change over time.

According to an AIIM study underwritten in part by Papersoft, Paper-free processes: measuring outcomes , Records Management is one of the main “paper-free processes candidates”. We asked respondents to judge where paper is continuing to increase (in red), and then to tell where they have made the most progress in reducing paper (in blue). As you can see, Records Management is the second one.

The efficient practice of Records Management should involve several activities. Check what have you done so far:

• Planning the information needs of the organization.
• Identifying information requiring capture.
• Creating, approving and enforcing policies and practices regarding records, including their organization and disposal.
• Developing a records storage plan, which includes the short and long-term housing of physical records and digital information.
• Identifying, classifying and storing records.
• Coordinating access to records internally and outside of the organization, balancing the requirements of business confidentiality, data privacy, and public access.
• Identification and maintenance of records for a specified retention period – according to organizational policies, statutory requirements, and other regulations this may involve either their destruction or permanent preservation in an archive.
• Designing, implementing and administering specialized systems for managing records (Records Management Solution).
• Integrating Records Management into business systems and processes.

Records Management benefits

As stated by ISO 15489, approaches to the creation, capture, and management of records ensure that authoritative evidence of business is created, captured, managed and made accessible to those who need it, for as long as it is required. This enables the following:

• Improved transparency and accountability.
• Effective policy formation.
• Informed decision-making.
• Management of business risks.
• Continuity in case of disaster or catastrophe.
• The protection of rights and obligations of organizations and individuals.
• Protection and support in litigation.
• Compliance with legislation and regulations.
• Improved ability to demonstrate corporate responsibility, including meeting sustainability goals.
• Reduction of costs through greater business efficiency.
• Protection of intellectual property.
• Evidence-based research and development activities.
• The formation of business, personal and cultural identity.
• The protection of corporate, personal and collective memory.

RMS (Records Management Solution) – the software you need to manage your records

A Records Management Solution (RMS) is an electronic archive tool that allows users to manage and control their records, through a secure and restricted access (by user profile), for both electronic and physical formats. It enables to search, track, store, organize, share and manage documents and relevant information for multiple business purposes.

If you are considering the implementation of a new RMS (digital and physical), ensure it covers the following main features:

• Secure access to documents and facilities based on user profile.
• Documents search by Metadata, by Free search or by Tags, or by georeferentiation (physical records).
• Document classification by multiple metadata fields (departments, entities, process, year, document type, subject, etc.).
• Retention schedules management per document type. Notifications control (alerts) for scheduled document destruction.
• Reporting status and monitoring per document/process.
• Metadata editing / deleting (depending on user profile).
• Image availability for downloading and sharing, or to be printed.
• Easy and secure online search.
• Online document storage.
• Files uploading (by document type and process type).
• User profiles / access conditions management.
• Status per document.
• Integration with the Document Management System and third-party applications.

Retention periods are critical to ensuring compliance with existing regulations. An automated monitoring service streamlines all the process and can be configured for each document type that alerts users on destruction dates and proceeds as per document retention policies. This allows an efficient document retention management policy for both physical and electronic records.

Records Management and process dematerialization

An RMS is thus a core piece of an overall Record and/or Document Management strategy. If you need any assistance in process dematerialization and automation just let us know. Our portfolio goes from the start of the process, with mobile capture, distributed capture, electronic signatures, automated data extraction, to the end, with Records Management, and also includes Digital Mailroom and Electronic Case Management. Whilst our focus is on efficiency, simplicity, and automation, we also know that most of our customers live in highly regulated industries, with strict compliance rules. Our solutions, therefore, have embedded controls, standards, and automation, to ensure compliance (process wise).

To Dos: – Would you like to see a Records Management solution in action? Ask us for a demo ! – Know more about Papersoft Platform and discover our SaaS Plans & Packages . – Subscribe to our blog  to receive valuable insights about document management and paper-free processes. – Download the Free Industry Watch Report by AIIM and Papersoft “Paper-free progress: measuring outcomes”  and see how paper-free is improving productivity, accessibility and compliance, the progress you’ve made and how your organization compares to others.

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The Importance of Records

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The NEED FOR Record Management

A record is a exchange between individuals or organizations that is first recorded and then stored on a particular repository for confirmed, or in some instances an unspecified timeframe. Documents vary in their contexts they can range from court records to state information that a country holds about its citizens i. e. labor and birth and loss of life certificates. Records in today's day and age are usually stored electronically on databases. Information provide an organization or government establishments with the necessary proof of the interaction using its partners, regarding organizations, or citizens regarding the state of hawaii.

Why is records management important and who's responsible for taking care of records within an organization?

Records management is important since it essentially has an company or any other entity with of proof the transaction that they have got into into with another get together. Additionally it is important in your choice making or tactical part of a business. Kept documents prevent data anomalies or inconsistencies, this is key on the part of those making decision for the business, if a division within an organization has were able to keep good an eye on what they have done or have not done it gets easier to allow them to make decisions based on those records.

Everybody in the organization is partially accountable for managing information in the business. Employees have a responsibility to make sure that their transactions with external celebrations related to the organization are kept documented and stored electronically. However, the information manager or information officer is tasked with handling the records for the whole organization together with his/her team. The files manager is also in charge of drawing up insurance policies that articulate the goals of his/her division to all of those other organization. That is to be sure that everyone within the organization knows how to handle information and is also knowledgeable on the legal and corporate and business criteria associated with files management.

Outline an electronic records management cycle.

I have recognized four stages to the documents management life pattern, with the knowing that there possibly could be more that can be recognized or less.

The first being: Creation. This includes the part of the cycle when documents are being created or being received.

The second part is: Working Records: these are documents that are needed frequently. They can be retrieved at least one per or month or as frequently as weekly, so these types of data are stored on readily accessible databases.

The third part is: Semi-Active/Inactive Files: Semi active records aren't necessary for day-to-day business. Organizations need to keep them for recommendations for legal reasons, of for financial reasons. They aren't used often enough to warrant or justify their being stored in principal record centres. Semi-active information are often stored better value in a information centre.

The fourth part being: Final disposition: The ultimate disposition is the action that occurs when records have no more value to an organization. This phase range from physical destruction of the data of copy of the records to the custody of the external body.

What will you see as customer connections with the files?

The individual of the information is in the first place an integral part of the creation process of a particular record. Their type to the process is the partnership they have got with the business. The degree to which they interact with the records will depend on the context and meaning of the partnership to an organization. Users of course could range between customers to employees. Employees connections with record will include them maintaining the records they have created and updating them if possible. A person to an organization interacts with his/her record when they have to consult the business about the business deal they had with that one business.

What is an ERDMS and what are the benefits the thing is ERDMS getting to your organization?

An ERDMS can be an Electronic Information and Documents Management System that can be used for managing and storing details digitally. It is used to effectively take care of paper and electronic digital files and documents.

The great things about such something can in ones view be separated from specific to business. For the average person it can mean a quicker and more convenient discovery and access to information. A better administrative efficiency and efficiency. It might also suggest the facilitation of data established information decision making.

For the business it could translate into secure and organized management of unstructured data such as e-mail, documents and spreadsheets. And also efficiency profits with much better quality and consistency of organizational functions.

Another benefit any particular one sees for the organization utilizing this system is the fact that there can be an enhancement of an recordkeeping culture quite simply this best practice can be institutionalized to the whole of the organization. There can even be a reduction in files lost, and reduction in legal liability to publicity. An capacity to integrate central business applications with core business applications with the ERDMS can permit improved records take through automation.

List the ERDMS functionalities and briefly summarize each operation indicating its importance?

Functionality (a): What is stored?

On these systems digital files such as expression producing documents, spreadsheets, media materials etc are stored.

Functionality (b): What customers can do?

End users can create new documents which may or might not exactly be records. They are able to also save documents with limited metadata related to business functions.

Functionality (c): Access and use

Users can get stored files. They can also acquire action records accordance with workflow operations and also edit files and choose whether to save lots of as a new version or ne w document

Functionality (d): Removal.

The users of the documents can erase them when they don't serve any commercial or legal purpose their team or the whole organization.

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The Importance Of Record Management

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015 Last Modified: 12 May 2017

Disclaimer: This essay has been written and submitted by students and is not an example of our work. Please click this link to view samples of our professional work witten by our professional essay writers . Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssayCompany.

A record is a transaction between individuals or institutions that is first documented and then stored on a specific repository for a given, or in some cases an unspecified amount of time. Records vary in their contexts they can range from court records to state information that a country holds about its citizens i.e. birth and death certificates. Records in the current day and age are usually stored electronically on databases. Records provide an organization or government institutions with the necessary proof of the interaction with its partners, in the case of organizations, or citizens in the case of the state.

Why is records management important and who is responsible for managing records in an organization?

Records management is important because it essentially provides an organization or any other entity with of proof of the transaction that they have entered into with another party. It is also important in the decision making or strategic part of an organization. Kept records prevent data anomalies or inconsistencies, this is key on the part of those making decision for the company, if a department within an organization has managed to keep good track of what they have done or have not done it becomes easier for them to make decisions based on those records.

Everybody in the organization is partially responsible for managing records in the organization. Employees have a responsibility to make sure that all their transactions with external parties related to the organization are kept recorded and stored electronically. However, the records manager or information officer is tasked with managing the records for the whole organization together with his/her team. The records manager is also responsible for drawing up policies that articulate the aims of his/her department to the rest of the organization. This is to make sure that everyone within the organization knows how to handle information and is also knowledgeable on the legal and corporate standards associated with records management.

Outline an electronic records management cycle.

I have identified four phases to the records management life cycle, with the understanding that there possibly could be more that can be identified or less.

The first being: Creation. This entails the part of the cycle when records are being created or being received.

The second part is: Active Records: these are records that are needed frequently. They are retrieved at least one per or month or as frequently as weekly, so these types of records are stored on readily accessible databases.

The third part is: Semi-Active/Inactive Records: Semi active records are not needed for day-to-day business. Organizations need to keep them for referrals for legal reasons, of for financial reasons. They are not used often enough to warrant or justify their being stored in primary record centres. Semi-active records are often stored at a lower cost in a records centre.

The fourth part being: Final disposition: The final disposition is the action that takes place when records have no more value to an organization. This phase can include physical destruction of the records of transfer of the records to the custody of an external body.

What do you see as user interactions with the records?

The user of the records is in the first place a part of the creation process of a particular record. Their input to the process is the relationship they have with the organization. The degree to which they interact with the records depends on the context and meaning of the relationship to an organization. Users of course could range from customers to employees. Employees’ interaction with record should include them maintaining the records that they have created and updating them if necessary. A customer to an organization interacts with his/her record when they need to consult the business about the transaction they had with that particular business.

What is an ERDMS and what are the benefits you see ERDMS bringing to your organization?

An ERDMS is an Electronic Records and Documents Management System that is used for managing and storing records digitally. It is used to effectively manage paper and electronic records and documents.

The benefits of such a system can in one’s view be separated from individual to organization. For the individual it can mean a quicker and more convenient discovery and access to information. An improved administrative efficiency and effectiveness. It could also mean the facilitation of evidence based information decision making.

For the organization it could translate into secure and systematic management of unstructured data such as emails, documents and spreadsheets. And also efficiency gains with improved quality and consistency of organizational processes.

Another benefit that one sees for the organization making use of this system is that there can be an enhancement of a recordkeeping culture in other words this best practice can be institutionalized to the whole of the organization. There can also be a reduction in records lost, and reduction in legal liability to exposure. An ability to integrate core business applications with core business applications with the ERDMS can enable improved records capture through automation.

List the ERDMS functionalities and briefly describe each functionality indicating its importance?

Functionality (a): What is stored?

On these systems electronic files such as word processing documents, spreadsheets, multimedia materials etc are stored.

Functionality (b): What end users can do?

End users can create new documents which may or may not be records. They can also save files with limited metadata related to business functions.

Functionality (c): Access and use

Users can retrieve stored files. They can also receive action files accordance with workflow processes and also edit files and select whether to save as a new version or ne w document

Functionality (d): Disposal.

The users of the files can delete them when they do not serve any corporate or legal purpose their department or the whole organization.

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