In the current business panorama, every business should be taking on information governance, not just to comply with regulations, but also to set a company-wide standard as to how manage the information. Information governance is not just about managing records and keeping up with compliance requirements, but includes every facet of a business.
Today, the discipline of records management has unfolded to the point where it now encircles information management and governance. And this is not something new for many record managers. However, the increasing awareness of this trend is accrediting and bracing the records management function, which increasingly is being considered crucial to the success and safety of businesses as well as their customers and other stakeholders. But what exactly is information governance?
What is Information Governance?
Information Governance, or IG, is fundamentally the way a business organization utilizes and stores information via a set framework of processes and procedures. But the truth is it goes way beyond just keeping records, it also comprises of data stored electronically.
Key elements of information governance include content and records management, classification and auto-classification, imaging and archiving, recovery and access. A business needs to embrace the principle that information is an asset, it comes with a purpose and the business has an obligation to manage that information correctly, which goes over and above merely complying with regulatory audit, legal and discovery posts.
Role of a Records Manager
A records manager ensures safe and efficacious operations of a business organization when it comes to effective use of records and data. And in today’s data-driven world, the role of a records manager is becoming more pre-eminent yet harder too. Creating equilibrium between records and data is not a cakewalk and this is where a records manager needs to emphasize the most. So how can a Records Manager make things smooth and easy going? Well if you are a records manager, this webcast will walk you through few points that you might use to your advantage:
Communication is vital to Augmenting Information Governance
Communication is key to a business’ success and acts as a medium to come to a conclusion and eventually solve problems. Maintaining smooth communication with business units and Information Governance stakeholders eliminates the probability of any kind of conflict.
Activities such as records and data transfers should be well-communicated to concerned business departments beforehand. The requirements and demands of each business unit should be made clear together with their ways of utilizing records and data. Keeping up communication with different business units will boost unification to build a burgeoning organization that is also compliant and kept safe.
Active Role of Records Managers is Must
Another significant way out for Records Managers to enhance Information Governance is to actively participate as a keen member of Governance Advisory Board. This is important not only for Records Managers but also for those who are already a Board member.
Records Managers will begin to figure out the strategic need for legal compliance and risk management regarding records and data. While other Board members will come by insights from the Records Manager about the actual application and implementation of policy. Again, both way communications comes into play and the organization will emerge victorious together with its employees.
Inspection and Documentation
Last but not the least, comes the Records Manager responsibility that should be carried out regularly. A Records Manager must constantly observe how records and data are used and ensure whether the data usage is effective or not. Moreover, all these observations should be well documented together with the use of existing data and records usage protocols. This way it can be ensured that policy rules are being strictly followed and it can be made well-apprised where rules yearn for enforcement to enhance the overall effectiveness.
To conclude, when destroying the records, Record Managers must bear in mind to create a record of the record’s destruction. This will eventually help create an audit trail that can authenticate the time, date, and the means by which they were destroyed.
