Document Management - White Paper (ID 5277).pdf Jul. 2014 | Page 42

Security of data is one of the core benefits of digital records
management. In RM, adjustable and granular security controls
through metadata become a critical factor for achieving
compliance. The records manager should be able to define
security tags on different sets or series of records, and be able
to change authorized user access to these records to allow
review by auditors, attorneys, and other regulatory authorities,
when appropriate.
Applications intended for RM must handle two types of
disposition. The system should handle the approval of interim

transfers, which temporarily removes or copies a set of records
from the organizational framework.
RM solutions should also facilitate final disposition, which
entails either accession to outside archives or destruction
according to the records schedule. A digital RM system must
allow for the export of an entire set of records, according
to metadata categories, for the purposes of transfer and
accession. The RM system should have the flexibility to either
retain the records, or retain only the metadata without the
records.

Same Terms, Different Meanings
Records Management and Information Technology
Professionals in information technology and records management use the same vocabulary
to refer to very different things. In discussion, be aware of the overlapping terminology:
RM:

IT:

File

Physical folder to hold
records; a location or
categorization of records

Any electronic document

Record

A document that can serve
as legal evidence of a
transaction or organization
activity

A row in a database table

Archiving

Keeping records accessible
and readable regardless of
technological platform or
future obsolescence

Removing old files from
directories; compressing
data into less memory
storage

Retention

Application of rules of
scheduled record retirement
and disposal

Electronic storage and back
up

Preservation

The objective of (and issues
involving) keeping records
over the long term (10
years+)

Maintaining the integrity of
data after a migration from
one system to another

RM Terminology
EASY DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

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