Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
If.records.management.practices.and.policies.need.to.be.
developed. for. an. organization,. I. would. recommend. gather-
ing.a.group.of.stakeholders.including.top-level.management,.
auditors,. legal. counsel,. and. IT. managers. and. staff. if. those.
positions. exist.. If. any. of. those. positions. are. outsourced. or.
contracted.for,.it.would.be.useful.to.have.them.in.the.meeting.
as.well.
Start,.as.noted.above,.by.understanding.the.records.reten-
tion.regulations.that.apply,.and.then.carefully.consider.all.of.
the. other. data. that. you. produce.. Use. the. information. you.
learned.in.this.topic.as.a.guide.to.ensure.you.are.considering.
all. of. the. different. places. data. can. be. stored. and. all. of. the.
issues.and.challenges.around.being.able.to.access.that.data.
Come.up.with.a.set.of.policies.and.guidelines.that.takes.
all. this. information. into. account.. Your. auditors. and. legal.
counsel.can.assist.you.with.the.regulatory.requirements,.and.
your.IT.folks.can.help.you.to.understand.where.the.data.live,.
who.owns.and.controls.the.data,.and.how.you.will.be.able.
to.access.and.manage.the.data..Management.will.be.able.to.
help.you.understand.all.of.the.different.types.of.information.
created.and.preserved.within.your.organization.
Top-level.management.or.executives.need.to.be.included.
in. this. work. as. well,. because. it. is. extremely. important. that.
they.understand.and.buy.off.on.the.policies..They.will.ensure.
these.policies.are.adhered.to.throughout.the.organization.if.
they.believe.in.the.importance.of.these.practices.
Document.those.understandings.in.policy.and.guidelines,.
and.when.you.feel.they.are.as.complete.as.possible.(with.the.
understanding.that.such.policies.need.to.be.dynamic.and.lex-
ible.as.your.organization.expands.or.contracts.and.as.tech-
nology. changes),. arrange. for. regular. and. ongoing. training.
on.those.policies.for.everyone.in.your.organization.who.will.
have.access.to.those.types.of.records.
Good.records.management.practices.are.the.most.impor-
tant. foundation. for. ensuring. the. integrity. and. availability. of.
records..With.those.in.place.and.well.documented,.you.have.
taken.the.important.irst.steps.
