Records Management.

A record is a document or other electronic or physical entity in an organization that serves as evidence of an activity or transaction performed by the organization and that requires retention for some time period. Records management is the process by which an organization:

  • Determines what types of information should be considered records
  • Determines how active documents that will become records should be handled while they are in use, and determines how they should be collected once they are declared to be records.
  • Determines in what manner and for how long each record type should be retained to meet legal, business, or regulatory requirements.
  • Researches and implements technological solutions and business processes to help ensure that the organization complies with its records management obligations in a cost-effective and non-intrusive way.
  • Performs records-related tasks such as disposing of expired records, or locating and protecting records related to external events such as lawsuits.

Determining which documents and other physical or electronic items in your organization are records is the responsibility of corporate compliance officers, records managers, and lawyers. By carefully categorizing all enterprise content in your organization, they can help you ensure that documents are retained for the appropriate period of time. A well-designed records management system helps protect an organization legally, helps the organization demonstrate compliance with regulatory obligations, and increases organizational efficiency by promoting the disposition of out-of-date items that are not records.