Records Management: Benefits Beyond Document Management

By Greg Milliken, President of M-Files, Inc.

Many organizations have special protocols for document handling in order to comply with State or Federal regulation, conform to industry standards, or adhere to their own internal rules of corporate governance. In these cases, documents are valued not just as a means to conduct the business of the present, but also as evidence of activities in the past. Legally speaking, when documents contain any information regarding internal company processes, transactions, or decision-making, they reach the status of a "record."

Record management (RM) is a formalized and comprehensive methodology for handling these important documents; a discipline that long predates digital systems. Whether for paper or digital files, records management applies a consistent set of rules to each stage of the life cycle of a record, from its origination (creation or receipt) to its eventual disposition (transfer or destruction).

Although records management and electronic document management are two separate concepts, technological automation plays a large role in achieving record management objectives, as electronic formats are now commonly accepted as legal evidence.

There are many reasons why solutions to RM mandates are increasingly in demand. Organizations that have maintained RM systems over a long period of time have likely updated their system in piecemeal fashion as necessary during its existence, and largely because of this, now lack comprehensive scope or compatibility with newer systems.