Issue 2 2008 > The Transformation of Document Storage into Records Management
The Transformation of Document Storage into Records Management
What do we actually mean when we say "records management?"
In the past when companies were looking for "space" or looking to reduce costs, their first step was to remove old files from their expensive office space and put them into deep storage in a remote warehouse where the price was low and access was minimal. This type of service tended to be used for inactive archival documents, as a low cost method of keeping them safe until the end of their statutory retention period when they could be destroyed. This is the origin of "document storage."
As legislation came into place requiring businesses to keep documents as evidence and technology has evolved, the need has moved to that of "managing information." This sort of active management, so an organisation can quickly and easily locate and retrieve the information it needs, has proven to offer such organisations a competitive advantage in the marketplace, not to mention the more obvious benefit of regulatory compliance.
Companies are producing more records per head of employee than ever before and are increasingly finding that although the "paperless office" continues to be a myth, the "lesspaper" office is without a doubt, a reality. In addition, as courts increase their acceptance of electronic files as evidence, we will find records management migrating even further from paper documents to electronic data. With examples of cases where courts have sent computer experts to "undelete" records from hard drives, records management companies are already seeing an expansion of electronic files that need to be held. Storing business records is no longer as simple as putting boxes in an empty warehouse.
Nothing like the threat of litigation, fines, or even, in extreme cases, imprisonment for CEOs, has focused business minds to ensuring that companies meet all of the statutory requirements issued via various government departments and regulatory bodies.
Corporate compliance is driving a standardisation approach to the whole subject. Everything from referencing items, implementing retention policies, retrieval methodology and certified destruction is being standardised across multiple boundaries. The drive for standardisation is resulting in many major multi-national organisations reducing the number of suppliers they use in order to impose a single methodology throughout their business.
The world of document storage has transformed into an industry that is unrecognisable from its origins, although the paper document continues to remain constant, in the minefield of acronyms that surround the technology that has come to encompass a full Records Management solution.
To meet these needs, the sophisticated suppliers in the industry are developing ever more sophisticated solutions to automate the programme as much as possible.
Standing still in this industry is not an option and the goal posts are constantly moving. Simply putting boxes on to shelves and leaving them there in perpetuity is no longer an option. Destruction review programmes, deep storage solutions, active file management and much more are areas that records management companies are exploring.
Despite the records management industry being quite a complex industry, the barriers of entry remain very low. We are still finding that anyone with a warehouse and a transport network believes they have the expertise required to enter into the industry. This is at the detriment of their clients who may find the lower costs being charged are actually resulting in their records not being held in an environmentally-controlled warehouse, for example, and resulting in damaged records.
Written by:
David Fathers
Commercial Manager, Continental Europe
Crown Records Management
Email: dfathers@crownworldwide.com
David has been in the records management industry for 15 years, having held senior manager roles with Crown over the last six years.