The keeping of physical records continues to become obsolete, as digital records have become more common.
Not only are digital records more easily accessible but they can also be stored and managed in a simpler way, says Danai Chikukwa, business analyst from Bizmod.
South African legislation governs the management of data and for organisations to comply they will need to have a records management system in place.
“The onus is on organisations to ensure that the management and processing of records adheres to the legislation,” says Chikukwa. Organisations are required to train employees on the management of records in line with the legislation.
“Good records management allows for a seamless approach and ease of updating, correcting, and deleting data at the subject’s request. It also enables companies to delete redundant information, which is an unnecessary high cost.”
Chikukwa recommends that organisations put these initiatives into practice to ensure that their records keeping systems are compliant:
* Reviewing new regulations and an understanding of the requirements is the most important step before starting any initiatives.
* Conduct a gap analysis to see where the organisation stands and what is required to reach acceptable maturity.
* Development of a records management operating model – creating a capability within the organisation to allow for records management.
* Documenting records management policies, standards and processes to ensure these are implemented throughout the organisation.
* Records classification: this ensures a correct grouping of related records over time, avoiding gaps that may occur as terminology can evolve or become obsolete.
* Depending on the size of the organisation a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tool may be required to discover where sensitive data resides on the network, to implement policies in relation to sensitive data and automatically prevent attempts to copy or send sensitive data without authorisation.
* The drafting and implementation of retention schedules based on the type of records and the regulations that govern these.
* Once the period for records retention is agreed upon, destruction of old records that have passed their retention dates will be required.
* Most businesses have a records inventory system, however a review of the data protection regulations and any other impacting laws must be considered before updating and developing a standard records inventory for the organisation.
* The implementation of new processes in organisations requires a change in culture and behaviour. Change management initiatives are required so that all employees are accustomed to the new way of record management within the organisation.