Records Management For Dummies

Records Management For Dummies

by Blake Richardson, CRM
Records Management For Dummies

Records Management For Dummies

by Blake Richardson, CRM

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Overview

Here's what you should know to manage data records efficiently

With proper electronic data management, your business can lower costs, improve efficiency, eliminate duplication, and be protected in the event of a lawsuit. This book provides an overview of records management solutions and implementation strategies in plain, non-technical English. Step-by-step instructions show you how to begin managing records and information and how to maintain the program once you have it established. Sample forms for inventory, scheduling, and necessary documentation are also available on the companion website.

  • Electronic records management offers cost savings, greater efficiency, and protection in case of legal action; this book gets you started on an effective data management system
  • This plain-English guide helps you determine what constitutes a record, shows you how to inventory records and create an efficient way to file both electronic and paper copies, and explains how to create a retention schedule
  • Walks you through switching to electronic record-keeping, what to look for in a records management system, implementing best practices, ensuring that your system will stay current, and using the system effectively
  • Helps you assure that the destruction of any sensitive information is conducted and documented correctly

Records Management For Dummies helps your business save money and improve efficiency with effective electronic records management.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781118388082
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: 10/16/2012
Series: For Dummies Books
Pages: 320
Sales rank: 685,545
Product dimensions: 7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Blake Richardson, CRM, is a Certified Records Manager with more than 15 years of experience managing records and information for several Fortune 500 companies. He has been a records manager for CNA Insurance and the Dollar General Corporation, and is active in ARMA International.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

How This Book Is Organized 2

Part I: Setting the Stage 3

Part II: Filing Made Simple 3

Part III: Capturing Records 3

Part IV: Parking Spaces 3

Part V: Creating a Plan 4

Part VI: The Part of Tens 4

Bonus Content: Appendix 4

What You're Not to Read 4

Icons Used in This Book 5

Where to Go from Here 5

Part I Setting the Stage 7

Chapter 1 Fundamentally Speaking 9

The Inside Scoop - Terms and Terminologies 10

What is information? 10

For the record 10

Business value 11

Nonvalue 11

The information life cycle 12

Grooving with the records (and the information retention schedule) 13

Hold on! 13

Role Playing 13

The Records and Information Manager 14

The evolution of the records manager 15

The big bang! 15

School is in session 16

I can associate with that 17

Let me see your credentials 17

I've got to do what?! 20

The written word 20

Professionally speaking 22

I'm Excited - Why Aren't You? 23

Core function junction 23

Show me the benefits! 23

Trimming expenses 24

Improving efficiencies 26

Increasing staff productivity 27

Risky business 28

Creating your support group 29

Marketing Your Program 33

Chapter 2 Appraising 35

Preparing for the Appraisal 35

Push for the purge 36

Don't forget the hard drives 37

Choosing an Appraisal Method 39

A method to the madness 39

The good and the … good 40

Conducting the Appraisal 42

Capturing appraisal information 43

Taking inventory 43

Going through with an interview 44

Quizzing with a questionnaire 45

Documenting the appraisal 45

Processing the appraisal results 48

Chapter 3 Scheduling 49

Keeping Your Options Open 50

Working with the Departmental retention schedule 50

Scheduling based on function 52

Bring out the big buckets 54

Conducting the Investigation 56

Considering the value 57

Researching retention periods 58

Mining your natural resources 59

Assigning retention periods to nonrecord information 61

Looking for Approval 62

Department management 62

Paying a visit to the Tax department 62

Legalizing your retention 63

Creating the Retention Schedule Document 63

The pieces to the retention schedule puzzle 63

Sampling retention schedule forms 67

Implementing the Retention Schedule 68

Keeping it electronic 69

Providing direction 69

Updating the Retention Schedule 70

Part II Filing Made Simple 73

Chapter 4 :I Know It's Here Somewhere 75

Filing Methods 75

The alpha file 76

The numbers don't lie 77

Filing alphanumerically 78

Evaluating Filing Equipment and Supplies 80

The right equipment makes a difference 80

File folders under "important" 86

Selecting a Filing Method 90

Creating a records profile 91

Growing, growing - gone! 91

Evaluating the current state of affairs 92

Creating a Digital Filing System 92

Drawing the parallels 92

Naming folders and files 95

Chapter 5 Drives Can Drive You Crazy 97

At-Risk Drivers 97

Out of sight - out of mind 98

Driving up the costs 98

Driving down function lane 99

Cleaning Up Your Driving Record 99

Taking time to know your drives 100

Mapping a course of action 101

Creating a folder structure 102

Administering shared drives 104

Planning the file review 107

Reviewing files 108

Cleaning up with software 110

Maintaining Your Drives 110

Creating a usage policy 111

Relying on the administrator 111

Using software to maintain your drives 112

Chapter 6 A Message about E-Mail 113

The Anatomy of an E-Mail 113

Determining the value of the message 114

Scheduling time for e-mail 115

The rising risks of e-mail 116

Managing quotas 117

Filing the Message 118

PSSST! What you need to know about PST folders 118

MSG can be good for your informational health 120

Naming e-mail 122

Using Software to Manage E-Mail 125

E-mail archiving systems 125

Optimizing with DM and ECM applications 125

Part III Capturing Records 127

Chapter 7 Watch Out, I'm Backing Up 129

Creating a Backup Plan 129

Identifying different types of backups 130

Finding a place to back up 131

Distinguishing between backups and archives 132

The tale of the mystery tape 134

Managing Backups 135

Determining what needs to be backed up 135

Applying retention to backups 136

Creating a data retention schedule 137

Deleting backed-up and archived information 139

Chapter 8 Know When to Hold 'em 141

Discovering Discovery 141

Initiating a Legal Hold 143

The components of a legal hold 143

Organizing the search party 145

Searching in the dark 146

E-mail - the smoking gun 147

Keying in on keywords 148

Searching made simple 150

Preserving what you find 150

Maintaining the legal hold 150

We have liftoff 151

Chapter 9 Imaging Documents 153

From Paper to Paperless 153

Understanding the basics of document imaging 154

Benefiting from an image makeover 155

To Image, or Not to Image 156

Conducting an imaging needs assessment 156

Stepping through the imaging process 158

Prep school 158

Scanning documents 161

Recognizing a good thing when you see it 161

Applying indexes 162

Controlling the quality 164

Determining Your Imaging Approach 165

What happens in-house stays in-house 165

Equipping your imaging operation 166

Gathering Requirements 170

Conducting a document analysis 170

End of the beginning 171

Calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) 172

Investing in the benefits 172

Knowing your customer 173

Valuating the benefits 174

Evaluating Imaging Hardware and Software 175

Examining document scanners 175

The role of document-imaging software 177

Chapter 10 Software Applications 179

Examining Software Options 179

Laying the software foundation 180

Types of software 181

Assessing Your Needs 187

Calculating the return on investment (ROI) 188

Identifying your "pain points" 189

Conducting a requirements analysis 189

Evaluating Vendors 191

Determining your evaluation approach 191

Using business-use cases 192

Detailing the results 192

It's not all about functionality 193

Comparing the results 195

Guiding You through Implementation 195

Why implementations fail 196

How to ensure that your implementation is a success! 197

Part IV Parking Spaces 199

Chapter 11 Storage Locations 201

Storing Inactive Records Onsite 201

Protecting your inactive records 202

Implementing access control procedures 203

Optimizing your inactive storage 205

Getting to Know the Record Storage Vendor 207

Understanding the fee structure 207

Making sure that your requirements are met 209

Contracting with the vendor 210

Chapter 12 Compliant Destruction 213

Determining the Appropriate Destruction Method 213

Deciding on Your Shredding Approach 214

Shredding your own documents 214

Getting to know the shredders themselves 216

Outsourcing your shredding 217

Selecting the Right Shred Vendor 218

How to ensure that electronic information is unrecoverable 218

Establishing your shredding requirements 219

Developing an Information Destruction Policy 221

If you can't do it, don't include it 222

Elements of an effective destruction policy 222

Part V Creating a Plan 225

Chapter 13 Codifying the Policies 227

Developing a Records and Information Management Policy 227

Understanding what a policy is (and isn't) 228

The basic characteristics of a good policy 228

Talking records and information 229

Making the Policy Available 230

Distributing the hard copy 231

Attaching a soft copy 231

The missing link 232

Auditing the Policy 233

Developing an audit plan 233

Determining what to audit 234

Communicating the audit 236

Documenting the audit findings 236

Chapter 14 Train the Troops 237

I'm Aware of That! 237

From the top 238

What's in it for me? 238

Creating a creative awareness campaign 239

Developing a Training Plan 241

Deciding on the curriculum 241

One size doesn't always fit all 242

How refreshing 242

Training the Masses 243

How much time do I have? 243

Face-time training 244

Webinars 244

Intranet-based training 245

Part VI The Part of Tens 247

Chapter 15 Ten Simple Management Guidelines 249

Limiting E-Mail Attachments 249

Knowing How to Dispose of Information 251

Structuring Electronic Folders 252

Naming Files 252

Managing Active and Inactive Periods 253

Scheduling Destruction and Deletion 254

Creating the Proper Filing System 254

Avoiding the "Keep Everything" Syndrome 255

Managing Copies 255

Keeping It Simple 257

Chapter 16 Ten Emerging Trends 259

Governing Information 259

Computing in the Clouds 260

Big Data 261

Social Media 262

Putting Some Structure to It 263

Let's Collaborate 264

Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles 265

Mapping Your Data 266

Enterprise Searching 267

Don't Get Duped 268

Appendix: Sample forms and Vendor Listings 269

Index 281

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